Harry Potter and The Last Life
by Saftimus
Summary: The Tapestry of Life is in danger of falling to pieces. Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Constantly-Lived, is the only one that can change the way that the threads are falling. With the help of his Soul Mate, can he change the destiny of the wizarding world for the better? A Time Traveling and Soul Bond fic, with cameo appearances from other fandoms. A WIP, with fortnightly updates.
1. Chapter 1- Valhalla Awaits

**Chapter 1- Valhalla awaits**

White.

A flash of deathly green, and then nothing but white.

Why did it always have to be white? Why not red, or blue, or even pink? Surely black would make more sense?

These were the thoughts running through the head of one Harry James Potter as his body fell to the ground in the Forbidden Forest; Bellatrix's manic cackle and Voldemort's agonising scream echoing in his mind as his soul began rapidly moving on into the afterlife.

At least he thought that's where his soul was going. After all, he thought, where else would it go?

As the bright white started fading from his vision, his surroundings started to take shape. Nothing was white at all. In fact, everything started to oddly look a bit like the Great Hall of Hogwarts, but for one glaringly obvious fault. The tables were piled with food for a feast, and yet there was not a single soul in sight. Everything was still. Too still. Even the ceiling, normally bewitched to look like the sky during a feast, showed no movement, despite the angry looking clouds. It was almost as if the scene was frozen in time like a muggle photograph.

The whole scene confused Harry. What was he supposed to do now? Did he sit down and eat the food, or was he supposed to go looking for someone? What if his soul had been damaged by the Horcrux lodged behind his forehead and he has ended up in some weird sort of Limbo?

The Horcrux! Had he managed to destroy it? Harry quickly grabbed one of the shiny gold plates from the table nearest to him, and used it as a mirror to inspect his face, expecting to see some evidence of the familiar lightning bolt scar, and being greatly surprised when he was met with smooth unblemished skin.

"Normally I'd accuse you of being incredibly vain, checking out your face as soon as you could, but this time I think it's the smartest thing I've ever seen someone do as soon as they'd arrived." a voice sounded from nearby.

As Harry whipped his head around towards the voice, he was greeted by a sandy blond man with wavy hair, dressed in casual clothing. What made it obvious though that this was no ordinary man was the three sets of golden angelic wings protruding from his back. Despite being surprised by the sudden appearance of the man, Harry couldn't help but wonder why the man seemed familiar to him, as though he has seen the man's face in a dream before.

Instinctively, Harry reached for his wand, prepared to defend himself, but finding only cloth and lint in his pocket. Maintaining a defensive pose, ready to run and dodge at a moment's notice, Harry did what he always did when confronted with a potentially deadly foe. He started to talk.

"Sorry, who are you? Where am I? I assume that I'm dead, but I kind of thought that there would be more dead people in the afterlife." he said, while trying to subtly locate a potential exit. Harry never was particularly good at being subtle though, and the mysterious man starting chuckling at the battle-hardened teenager's antics.

"You can stop looking like a deer caught in headlights kiddo. Or rather, a stag. See what I did there? That was funny. As to where you are, well it kind of looks like your Great Hall doesn't it? It looks a little different to everyone, and everyone has a different name for it, but I believe the Vikings called it Valhalla. Always liked those Vikings, they sure knew how to throw a party. Even though they were a bit rough, you know, with the whole pillaging and raping thing they had going on," the man prattled, causing Harry to lift an eyebrow. "Ah. Sorry, I tend to prattle on a little bit when I know I have important things to do. Serious things make me nervous. Except Sirius. He just kind of made me feel a bit gooey."

"Sirius? As in Sirius Black, my godfather?" Harry questioned, wondering how the man in front of him knew Sirius.

"The one and only," the man started. "I was his angel too since he was connected to you by magic. Oh! I always forget that I have to explain this all to you. I mean, I've had to do this seven times for you before, but for you it's seems like the first time doesn't it?"

"Seven times? Are you telling me that we have met seven times before and I don't remember a single time?" Harry exclaimed, as he felt his panic levels begin to rise.

"Ok, let me explain from the beginning. My name is Gabriel, and I'm an angel, or rather an archangel, which really says something about how important you are kiddo. The only other time that someone has had an archangel as their personal angel of death was Merlin himself, and he got stuck with my dick of a brother Michael. Excalibur was actually the Sword of Michael. Pretty neat huh? So, since you are so important to the fate of the wizarding world, the three sisters of Fate have blessed you with three lives each, giving you a grand total of nine lives, which gives you eight do-overs. And I hate to say it kiddo, but you just hit your ninth life. You had already died seven times before tonight, but you wouldn't remember any of them since we managed to patch it up every time by sending you back a couple of hour or days before your unexpected death and gave you a bit of a mental nudge so that you would avoid your untimely death. Any questions so far?"

"Yeah, how have I died before? And why nine lives?" Harry asked.

"Well to be honest, it's nine lives because Atropos has a thing for cats. As for your previous deaths, the causes have been fairly varied. You might think that the first time that you died was that night in Godric's Hollow when Voldemort attacked your parents, but that was actually your second death. Your first death occurred when you were just a few months old actually. Lily left you alone for a little bit while she chased a muddy Prongs and Padfoot through the Manor, and you choked on a building block of all things. That was a simple fix, we just went back an hour and swapped the building blocks with a fluffy stuffed dragon."

"The third occurred when you were five, and Vernon Dursley punched you so hard in the head that he snapped your neck. In case you were wondering, that man definitely doesn't have a seat anywhere upstairs. In fact, I'm sure my brother Luci will have lots of fun roasting that fat pig over a hot fire for the rest of eternity. We fixed that one up by making him so drunk that he missed you and punched the wall instead."

"The fourth death was actually kind of funny really. You choked on a chocolate frog on your first train ride to Hogwarts. We made sure that that bugger jumped right out the window to stop that one."

"Your fifth death wasn't really a death, but having your soul ripped out by dementors wasn't going to help you at all, so we might have kind of been the ones that created that annoying time loop that you got stuck in during third year, so really you ended up saving yourself from that one."

"Your sixth death was so preventable that it pained us. You drowned in the Black lake during the second task of the Triwizard tournament because your gillyweed was stale, and you lost your gills just as you were fighting off the grindylows. We replaced the gillyweed with some fresh stuff and you were good to go."

"Your last death before this one was quite tragic really. Draco Malfoy managed to fire off a weak killing curse during your brawl in the bathrooms last year. But because his heart wasn't really in it, it just knocked you back a bit. Right into the edge of a sink. I have to say Harry, while you have a lovely brain, I really wish that I hadn't actually seen it. All we did to fix that one was slip a bit of a pepper up potion in your last meal so that your reflexes were a bit sharper. Malfoy walked away with a few curse scars, but at least you lived. And obviously, you remember what happened this time."

"Yeah, still hurts a little actually. Did it work though? Can he be killed now?" Harry asked with hope in his eyes, his defensive stance relaxing as he began to accept what had happened.

"Sadly kiddo, that's why we are still here. We are at a standstill, and it is driving Clotho insane. If you were to pass on into the afterlife, Voldemort would win. Still has the snake left remember? As soon as you died, he realised that you were a Horcrux and that he only had Nagini left, as he portkeyed her back to a secret room in Malfoy Manor. He even sent Bellatrix with the snake as an extra safety net. With his last Horcrux safe and nothing to lose, he slaughtered every member of the light left at Hogwarts, and took over magical Britain. Soon though, that wasn't enough, and he thought he would try and take the muggle part of Britain as well. He didn't realise that magical shields don't work against bullets, and Nagini was dropped into a nuclear reactor. Not even a Horcrux could survive that. In the process of world domination though, the wizarding world was exposed to the muggles. The muggles don't really like anything that they can't explain with science or religion, and so the wizarding world was destroyed, and magic herself withered and died."

"On the flip side, if we were to send you back and try to prevent your death, the same end result would occur because of the damn Horcrux lodged in your skull. Removing it would have killed you anyway, and whether it took an extra month, year or even decade, Voldemort would still win and every magical being would die." Gabriel explained, his seemingly constant smirk disappearing as his brows furrowed.

Harry's mind was racing from all the information. Was there nothing at all that could be done? Was magic going to die no matter what they did? "So what do we do now?" Harry asked in a small defeated voice.

Gabriel tilted his head to the side, as though he were pondering the question. Harry could hear him start to make noises, as though he was agreeing with something that he was hearing, punctuated by the occasional snort or flat out grunt of disapproval. After a couple of minutes of this strange behaviour, his face suddenly lit up in a huge smile and he started giggling manically like a child.

"Oh that's brilliant! Simply brilliant! "Gabriel practically squealed. Seeing the confused look on Harry's face, he began explaining. "Clotho and Lachesis have been studying your thread and those attached to yours and have found a way to potentially fix things, and even make your life better in the long run. Oooh so much better. We will have to send you back further than we have ever gone before and break a couple of the rules so that you retain your memories of this death and everything that you have learnt, but Clotho says that the potential tapestry looks beautiful, and Lachesis says that your thread will be at the longest it could ever be at. That means a full life kiddo! You could die as an old man! Even older than that idiot Dumbledore!"

"What do you mean that Dumbledore is an idiot? He is the reason I have made it this far at all!" Harry yelled, his magic sparking at the tips of his hair and his eyes turning a deadly shade of green.

"Now Harry," Gabriel began, putting his hands up and using a soft tone. "Dumbledore is the reason why you are in this mess to begin with. After he defeated Gellert Grindelwald, he was praised for years, respected by all and amassed so much political power. But not enough to sway everyone. As the years went by, his power waned. Sure he was still respected but he came to crave the power that he had over people. And so, when he first met Tom Riddle, he began to stoke that dark flame that he sensed in the child, rather than snuffing it out. If Tom Riddle had been placed with a magical family rather than being forced back to that dilapidated orphanage every year, the boy would have learnt compassion and what it meant to be loved unconditionally, potentially becoming one of the greatest wizards of our time. Instead, Dumbledore fashioned himself his own little Dark Lord, not realising the potential that Tom Riddle had. Not realising that he was digging his own grave. When Dumbledore realised how powerful Tom Riddle had become, it was too late. He was already on his way to Godric's Hollow to kill your family, and in Dumbledore's own home too."

"In Dumbledore's home? I thought the house belonged to my parents?" Harry questioned.

"No, it was definitely Dumbledore's. Your parents used it as a safe house after Dumbledore himself suggested it. I never understood why your parents didn't stay at Potter Manor. The wards on that place are some of the finest that I have ever seen, and that's just the regular wards. Once the war wards went up, nothing was getting into Potter Manor without the Lord of the Manor saying so. And the reason why you don't know about Potter Manor is because of Dumbledore. Since he illegally claimed himself as your magical guardian, he has been stopping Gringotts from contacting you about your true heritage since the day that he handed you over to the Dursley's. Despite the fact that you should have been given to about one hundred other people before the Dursley's should have even been considered." A small frown appearing on the angels face as he contemplated all of Dumbledore's meddling.

"So Dumbledore has been fucking with my life since before I was born? He's the reason that I've had to deal with years of abuse, instead of having a family that actually loved me and didn't think I was some sort of worthless freak?" Harry reasoned, becoming angrier by the second with the deceased wizard. They say that is doesn't bode well to speak ill of the dead, but that wasn't going to stop Harry from tearing Dumbledore's magical portrait a lovely new asshole. And by the looks of things, the archangel in front of him might just join him in that endeavour.

"The first person that should have been raising you was Sirius Black, since he is your true magical guardian. Dumbledore had to use a lot of favours to get himself instated as your magical guardian on paper, since he would normally have to go through a whole Wizengamot session, which would have caused a lot of issues for him. First he would have had to reveal that Sirius Black was your godfather, which means that it is magically impossible for Sirius to have directly or indirectly harmed you or your family at all, even if he wanted to. That would have led to questioning of how Sirius was thrown into Azkaban without a trial. And it would have been the shortest trial in history, since Sirius would have allowed the use of Veritaserum immediately, which would have not only cleared him of all charges, but would also have incriminated Dumbledore since he had told Sirius that you were dead and that Peter Pettigrew had your body. It is considered a crime of Line theft to not only knowingly lie about the death of an heir, but to also kidnap an heir from their rightful magical guardian? Dumbledore would have been in Azkaban himself if that knowledge ever came to light with enough evidence to incriminate him. "

"After Sirius, you should have been immediately taken to your other magical guardian, one Alice Longbottom. But again, Dumbledore interfered when he sent the Longbottom's to another one of his not-so-safe safehouses's. Despite the fact that Longbottom Hall is almost as well warded as Potter Manor, since it was actually a Potter that designed the wards for the Hall. At this point, I'm beginning to think that a lot of foul play was involved to move the families out of their relative fortresses. Regardless, your godmother and her husband were tortured a full week after the attack on Godric's Hollow. The Longbottom's spent a full week waiting for your arrival at any moment, but it never happened."

"Next would have been your uncle in all but blood, a Remus Lupin. But shortly after Voldemort's downfall, Dumbledore managed to help pass laws that restricted Remus's ability to ever be able to care of you due to his lycanthropy. Which is preposterous. Moony would never have been able to harm you due to the pack bond that he shared with both Prongs and Padfoot. Even in werewolf form, Moony would have doted on you as though you were his own cub. And since he was the mate of Sirius, you practically were his cub anyway."

"Did you just say that Remus and Sirius were mates? As in, a couple? I thought werewolves mated for life? How did Remus end up with Tonks then?" Harry questioned. The more he thought about it, the more Remus and Sirius together made perfect sense. They had each others animal form as a patronus after all. Two halves of the same whole, they complimented each other perfectly, both in wit and magical power.

Gabriel blushed and scratched his head, looking embarrassed as he began explaining to Harry, "It became a broken bond kiddo. In most cases werewolves mate for life, but that mate bond needs to be renewed every couple of months with well… coupling. And marking. The Moony in Remus would demand it. Since Sirius was in Azkaban for 12 years, there was no opportunity for Remus to renew the mate bond, and so it withered and eventually died. Sure, they could have started fresh when Sirius escaped, but there were more, ah, pressing matters at hand. Like keeping you alive. When Sirius went through the veil, Remus was finally free to move on, though he didn't exactly move far. Nymphadora Tonks is more like Sirius than she will ever know, and not just in blood. Ah but speaking of blood, you should have ended up with Andromeda Tonks, since she was your closest magical blood relative through your grandmother Dorea Potter nee Black. And I think that we should stop there since after that would have been Narcissa Malfoy nee Black and one crazy bitch Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black. But you get the idea. So many people that you should have ended up with, and that's even before we look at the Last Will and Testament of Lily and James Potter. Which again, was never read because of, you guessed it. Dumbledore. And every time the goblins at Gringotts tried to contact you about the will, Dumbledore got in the way. Ever noticed how you always seemed to deal with the same group of goblins at the bank? That's because Dumbledore had blackmail on each of them, and so they had no choice but to do his bidding or else be banished from the goblin kingdom."

Harry pondered all of this new information, when a thought occurred to him." Gabriel… you said that the Fates were sending me back further than ever before, with all of this knowledge. Is it far enough to change some of these events?"

A mischievous twinkle appeared in the archangel's eyes. "Oh kiddo, play your cards right and you will be able to change a lot of things. But, I think you might need some help. Which is why I've had my favourite little brother explain all of this to a special little friend of yours that died shortly after you did. And wow. This little firecracker is giving my dad a run for his money on the whole holy wrath thing. I like her."

With a snap of the angel's fingers, Harry's vision was filled with a sea of mousy brown curls, with a scent that he could only describe as being home.

Hermione Granger.

* * *

A/N Thank you for joining me on this wonderful journey. This is my first ever piece of fanfiction, and I truly hope that I can do it justice.

There will be a few cameo appearances throughout the story, but please keep in mind that they will be exactly that. I have no intention of bringing any other story lines into this work. It is not necessary for you to know the cameo in order to understand the character. These cameo characters will simply add their name and some of their individual quirks to the story, with the exception of Gabriel, whom will add a little bit of angelic magic to the story.

I already have the next few chapters written and ready to go, but I will try and stick to a weekly update schedule as much as possible. This will help provide a bit of a buffer for me in case I get a case of writers block, or if life just simply happens and throws a spanner in my works. With that being said, I could be persuaded to post an extra chapter per week if this story is well received.

This is a pretty long chapter, and will possibly be one of the longest in the story. I have no idea how long this beast will be in the end, or how many chapters in will encompass. All I know is that I am committed to seeing it though until the very end, and I hope you will join me in that endeavour. There will be times that we cry, times that we laugh, and times that we might be frustrated, but I hope that it will all be worth it in the end.

Hopefully this will be the longest author note I will have to write, and I don't intend on writing them every chapter.

Welcome to Harry Potter and The Last Life.

Live long and prosper my nerds.

Xo Saftimus.


	2. Chapter 2- The Erumpent in the room

A/N Honestly, I'm kind of blown away guys. I would have been happy if even just one person liked the story, but you have all given me so much more than that in such a short time. So... You get a bonus chapter, you get a bonus chapter, you are all getting a bonus chapter! Sorry if it seems a little short, but I feel like it ties up our duos time in Valhalla quite nicely.

* * *

 **Chapter 2- The Erumpent in the room**

Angelic methods of transportation seem to feel very different than regular magical methods it seems. Or at least that's what Hermione felt. Rather than the tight squeezing sensation of Apparition, Angel teleportation felt like the floor was being dropped out from underneath your feet, a sharp gust of wind and then a slight jarring as your feet reconnected with the ground. In short, Hermione was not a fan. At all. The sensation was much too similar to falling from a height, one of her greatest fears, hence her aversion to Quidditch and flying in general.

Suddenly being dropped into a new location by an awkward angel, combined with the information that she had just received did not make for a happy or particularly pleasant Hermione. If she was being upfront about it, she was downright pissed off. Adding on how she had died because of the actions of a grieving Ginny Weasley, and she was ready to strangle something. Unfortunately, Gabriel was right in the center of her warpath.

Hermione lurched forwards, grabbing the angel in front of her by the front of his shirt, and began yelling at the top of her lungs. "Why didn't you do anything? What gives you the right to just sit back and watch us suffer like we have? You could have fixed everything!" Suddenly realising that she was literally assaulting an angel, she let go, stumbling back a few feet until she felt the comforting presence of Harry behind her.

Gabriel chuckled, amused as he watched the girl's emotions cycle from discomfort to anger and finally to shock at her own behaviour. All in the span of seconds. "Honestly, do as much damage to me as you like. You have no idea how refreshing it is to not be treated like some smiteful apex predator. It's a bit of a turn on really," he said with a very Draco Malfoy like smirk. "But to address the Erumpent in the room, we simply couldn't intervene too much. Until now. Lady Magic doesn't really like it when we do, and tends to punish us pretty severely if we get too involved. Does the term 'Fallen angel' sound familiar? Having your wings ripped out isn't exactly pleasant. And I should know, I used to have eight of them!" Gabriel's wings twitched as though they remembered the sensation.

Hermione's face paled at the thought of losing something that was obviously like a limb to the archangel. "Your brother Castiel said that magic would die if we didn't go back and fix things. That's why she is letting you interfere now isn't it?" Hermione reasoned, her mind racing at the possibility that magic was actually sentient.

"Right in one kiddo. It will please you to know that I can confirm that you are actually the smartest witch of your generation, and if Dumbledore hadn't meddled, you would have been the most powerful witch as well. Which brings us to the other Erumpent in the room. Good thing it's a big room, because wow. Lots of Erumpent's in here. Both of you have been laced with numerous potions and charms over years. So many in fact, it's a wonder that either of you can still stand!" Gabriel said as he suddenly skipped forward and licked both of the teens on the cheek before standing back and contemplating the taste.

"Oi! What was that for?" Harry half screamed, the sound muffled by his shirt as he used the edge to wipe the angelic slobber from his face.

"Ah sorry. Something I learnt from a friend of mine. He reckons it's the best way to get a good sample of what's going on in a human body. Not sure if I trust him though, he has terrible fashion sense. Who wears canvas shoes with a trench coat? At least my brother has the sense to wear dress shoes," The angel half mumbled to himself, before remembering he had an audience and that he was prattling on again. "But back to the potions and charms. There's a bit of crossover between the two of you, and a few variances. Both of you are under the influence of various charms and potions designed to block how much of your magical core that you can access. In the case of Harry, at least one of those is directly tied to his blood, and some of his blocked power seems to be being used to power some pretty nasty wards around a certain Number 4 Privet Drive. And I use the term wards very loosely, since they seem to have very little to do with protecting and more to do with weakening any magical occupant. Very nasty, and very illegal. The blocked power of yours Hermione seems to be being siphoned off while you sleep to your magical guardian. Since your parents are muggles, your magical guardian by default is your headmaster at the time of your enrollment at Hogwarts. In other words, Dumbledore. It's curious though that even his death has not stopped the effect, but rather transferred it to his brother Aberforth. "

"Harry has been subjected to years of potions designed to stunt his physical growth, as well as stifle his mental capacity. There also seems to be a small yet constant does of Essence of Insanity, which explains some of the frankly stupid shit that you have pulled over the years. Who the hell sticks their wand, the only weapon that you had, up a troll's nose and hopes for a good outcome?" Gabriel scrunched his nose up at the mere thought of troll bogies.

"The worst in my opinion though is the shear amount of loyalty and love potions that have been shoved in your systems over the years. Both of you have had Gregory's Unctuous Unction, a potion that makes you believe that the person keyed to it is your best friend, slipped in your drinks since the Welcoming feast in first year for Harry, and after the events of Halloween in first year for Hermione. Both keyed for one Ronald Weasley, and later on to Ginevra Weasley. In your fifth year, various love potions were added to the mix. And I bet you can already guess who those were keyed to. Both of you would have noticed that your affections towards Ron and Ginny faded when Ron abandoned you while on the Horcrux hunt, since he wasn't around to keep you both topped up. Sadly, there was enough residual potion in your systems to let you both accept him back into the fold fairly quickly." Gabriel said as he finally spat out the frankly disgusting mix of potion residue from his mouth.

"Holy shit," Harry mumbled as he sat down on the bench behind him in defeat, his legs no longer able to carry the weight of the betrayal he felt from some of the people that he thought he loved the most. "Is there any way to get it all out of our systems? I feel incredibly dirty now."

Gabriel simply moved forward and lay a hand on each of the teenager's heads, a small look of concentration on his face. "Hmmm…mmm? Ah. There it is. Right. There we go, all fixed. A bit more involved than I thought it would be since the cocktail of potions had started to bond to your blood, but at least I could remove it all. You will probably feel a bit sick though, like a bit of a hangover. As for any charms, those were easy to break since most of them had deteriorated a fair bit already. The last time someone cast a charm to renew some of them was before you left to find the Horcrux's, and was cast by Molly Weasley. Not that she did a good job of it though, it was barely enough to top the charms up."

Hermione joined Harry on the bench, the beginnings of a killer headache forming. Not enough of a headache to stop a pressing question from pushing to the front of her mind. "How do we stop the potions being slipped to us again this time around?"

Gabriel tapped his chin for a few seconds as he pondered the question. "Well," he began. "The best way to go about it would be enchanted rings. I believe that there are a few lovely pairs lying around doing nothing in the Potter Vaults that should suffice. I would get them checked out by an enchantress though to see if there are any additional or updated protections that could be added to them. There's a few other things that I could do though that can help, but only once we send you back. I will warn you though, Enochian warding will be a bit painful since I have to sear them right onto your bones, but it will be an extra layer of protection in case someone tries to separate you both from those rings. Not as painful as the Cruciatus curse, and the pain will only last a few seconds, which both of you should be able to handle perfectly."

Harry, whom seemed to be finally recovering from his potion purge, stood up with a determined look on his face. "That sounds perfect. If it stops us from having to worry about being poisoned, then it's a fair trade off. I guess that leaves me with two questions really. What do we need to know before we go back, and when are we going back to?"

"Ah wonderful, your brain is already working better. As it so happens, I've already prepared a list of things that you need to know, and some things that you will need to do as soon as possible," Gabriel cleared his throat before he began reading from a scroll that materialised in front of him.

"Number one; If you need my help, just call my name. Just try not to call to call it out in your sleep," the angel added with a salacious wink at the teens. "Number two; Organise a date before you leave when you can both meet at Gringotts. This is crucial to get your plans sorted. Number 3; Ask the Goblins about Blood wards and what to do about them. Sure, I could deal with it, but the Goblins will be so much fun to deal with when you mention Blood wards. Which brings me on to number 4; Start gathering evidence on Dumbledore and company as soon as you can. I can give you a nudge in the right direction if you ever need it, but you will need to have actual dirt on him that you can prove in front of the Wizengamot if you ever hope to truly be free of his interfering. And lastly, number 5; always trust each other. There's a reason why you are being sent back together, and it's because you share a very special bond that unfortunately neither of you have realised due to the potions that were in your system. And now I address the last Erumpent in the room. That bond… is a Soul Bond."

"WHAT!?" Both teenagers erupted at the same time. Hermione was the first to recover from the shock, and asked, "But aren't Soul Bonds incredibly rare? There hasn't been a recorded Soul Bond in centuries."

"Ah yes, a lovely couple that eventually stopped the Salem witch trials. See, Soul Bonds are Clotho's way of saying 'Hey, sorry for all the shit you had to deal with, here's a person that is so perfect for you that your souls are literally two parts of the same whole.'. Everyone that has ever had a Soul Bond has been instrumental in the way that the Tapestry of Life is woven. And now, that person is you Harry, and by extension, Hermione as well. But, if it helps, you will have at least a few years to get used to the whole Soul Bond thing, since we are sending you back to a time where it won't affect you too much yet. You two are going all the way back to the morning of the fifteenth of July, nineteen ninety-one. The day when you both first received your Hogwarts letter. Now Harry, I expect that you will have learnt from the first-time round, and you will hide your letter as soon as you can. Hermione, I'm going to do something very special for you to make the whole thing easier with your parents, especially since we will have to explain the whole Soul Bond thing to them. I'm going to give them all of the memories that they had up until the day that you had to Obliviate them." Gabriel explained, unsurprised when his vision was filled by mousy curls as Hermione hugged him with a strength that would crack a normal person's ribs.

Harry gave a small smile at the scene in front of him, knowing how much having her parents back meant to Hermione. He would give anything to be able to see his parents safe and alive again. No, not anything he began to realise. He wouldn't give up the witch in front of him that he was beginning to realise had always been there for him, through thick and thin.

Gabriel gently pried the witch off of himself, quickly transferring her to Harry, whom started blushing deeply at the contact. Gabriel chuckled, "You're going to have to get used to that kiddo. You're literally stuck together now for eternity. Can't spend all that time blushing like a virgin bride whenever she touches you." Seeing the wizards blush deepen even further, Gabriel's eyes widened as he started laughing even harder. "Hit a bit too close to home there did I kiddo? Well I suppose you didn't have much time to get around to that sort of stuff while you were trying to save the world and all. Don't worry, play your cards right and you will have plenty of time to enjoy the carnal pleasures of life this time around. And speaking of this time around, I think it's about time that we send you both back. Harry, you will be on your own for a bit while I fix up the whole thing with Hermione's folks. Just remember. Hide the letter. Got it?"

At the wizard's nod, Gabriel stepped forward and gripped the teenagers by the shoulder. As the teens felt the floor dropping out from beneath them, Gabriel's face blanched. 'Oh shit', he thought. 'They are going to be pissed when they see the hand prints on their shoulders'.

With a jolt, Harry landed on his cot under the stairs, feeling much smaller than he was used to. At the sudden head rush, he blacked out.


	3. Chapter 3- Blast to the past

A/N As always, thank you all so much for your support of this story. I started writing this story because it's the kind of Harry Potter story that I enjoy the most, and it's wonderful that you are all enjoying it as well so far. That being said, a few notes.

So this is not only my first fanfiction, but also my first story. Outside of high-school English class, I've never written a story. I never dreamed that I would, especially one of this length. So, please don't be too harsh on any mistakes throughout the story, as this is kind of just me having a bit of fun with this story. It has been quite a liberating outlet of creativity for me, something I lack in my day to day life as an Engineering student.

Currently this story does not have a beta, so any mistakes are my own. If you notice something that is so glaringly wrong that is insults your senses, please let me know via PM or Review. I can't fix something that I don't know about, and even after reading through a chapter 5 times I am bound to miss something here and there.

Now, I have a question for everyone about the eventual fate of a few characters that could swing a couple of ways. As you can tell, there are some characters like Dumbledore, Ron, Ginny and Molly Weasley that I am going to throw under the bus quite a lot during this story. So, who do you think I should include in the meddlings of the foolish old man? Should Fred and George take the side of their mother and younger siblings, or should they side with Harry and Hermione? Should Draco Malfoy become a surprising ally? And how does Snape feel about the whole situation? In the end, these are all things that won't effect the overall outcome of the story, but will add a few interesting twists here and there. So what would you all like to see?

This story will encompass all of the events covered in the original Harry Potter stories, with events mainly occurring in chronological order. There are, of course, some major storylines that will have drastically different outcomes, which will eventually have a domino effect. Certain people won't die, some might still die, and some characters might die a lot sooner than you might think.

Let me know how you all enjoy the lovely plot twist in this chapter. I know I had a lot of fun writing it.

* * *

 **Chapter 3- Blast to the past**

When Harry finally awoke, it was to a sound that he had hoped to never hear again.

Petunia Dursley unlocked the door to the cupboard under the stairs, banged on the door three times before finally saying in a seething voice, "Get up and cook breakfast you worthless freak."

Casting his mind back to the past, Harry tried to remember exactly what he had done to warrant this particularly nasty wake up call. 'Ah,' he thought. 'Yesterday was Dudley's birthday, which means I'm still in huge shit for putting him in that snake enclosure. Which also means no food for a week. Hmm. I wonder if Gabriel can help me out with that.'

Harry was surprised when a candy bar appeared on his pillow, as though the archangel had heard his thoughts. "Thanks Gabe," Harry whispered under his breath, as he realised that there was a small note under the bar of chocolate. It simply read 'Meet at Gringotts tomorrow, midday.', in a script that was obviously Hermione's.

As he stepped out from the cupboard, he was bowled over by Dudley. As he hit the floor, he had to reel in his magic, and resist the impulse to reach for his wand, which he now realised was still not on his person. 'That's right, I don't own a wand yet,' Harry mused as he reigned in his anger, simply ignoring his cousin as he got up and began to prepare a particularly greasy breakfast for his relatives.

When the sound of the mail being delivered was heard shortly after breakfast was served, Vernon yelled at Harry to go and fetch the newspaper. Harry quickly collected the mail on the ground, his heart racing as he saw the familiar parchment of a Hogwarts letter. Being as quick as he could, Harry stuffed the letter through the grates on the door to his cupboard, and he took the rest of the mail to the table that his relatives sat at. As Petunia preened over how smart Dudley looked in his Smeltings uniform, Vernon dismissed Harry back to his cupboard under the stairs, where he was to stay for the rest of the day and night, as the Dursley's were having guests over that didn't need to see the freak that they had been burdened with.

Harry didn't dare open his letter yet, knowing that the rustling sound of parchment might attract the attention of the undesirables in the kitchen. No, he was going to have to wait until they left for their dinner reservation, and make sure that everything was safely tucked away before they got back. Harry decided that the best use of his time was to mentally plan out how he was going to escape tomorrow to get to Diagon Alley.

By the time the Dursley's finally left in the evening with their guests, Harry still hadn't figured out a way to get out. But now it was time to open his letter, and eat the roast dinner that appeared out of thin air in front of him. With a rustle of parchment, he was finally reading the words that he never got to read on his original Hogwarts letter. He was going back to school.

After the excitement of his letter wore off, the pressing issue of his escape came to the forefront once more. He couldn't just run outside and summon the Knight Bus, he didn't have a wand yet, and Mrs Figg would hear the commotion if he just started running away from his relatives. And if that happened, then Dumbledore would surely hear about it immediately. The last thing he needed was Dumbledore tracking him down before he had protected himself from the man.

The protection! Had Gabriel seared the warding onto his bones yet? Harry decided to call out to the angel, hoping that he would have a solution to Harry's dilemma. Harry jolted a little as he heard his cupboard door opening, only to relax when he saw Gabriel on the other side.

"Oh kiddo your relatives really suck. This cupboard is so tiny. So, what can I do for you?" the archangel rapidly said.

"Well, I just need to know a few things. Do I have the angel warding yet? And can you think of a way for me to get out of here tomorrow so I can meet Hermione?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Your warding is all done kiddo. I did it all shortly after you blacked out, so you wouldn't have felt a thing thankfully. I did the same for Hermione before she came to. And as for your escape plan, why, I'm wounded my friend. I can get you straight to Diagon Alley from this cupboard. I can even make it sound like Apparition in Diagon Alley so that no one thinks twice about it. We can put a couple of glamour charms on you before we leave so that no one recognises you. The last thing we need is one of Dumbledore's lackeys causing a scene in the middle of the street. As for Hermione, she is going to have to go there in the morning with McGonagall anyway. She will simply meet you after all her school shopping is done. Now I hate to run, but your relatives will be home any moment now. Just keep your cool for a little bit longer. With the right words to the right goblins tomorrow, you won't ever have to come back to this madhouse ever again." And with that said, Gabriel closed the cupboard door, taking care to leave it exactly how he found it before he disappeared with a sharp flap.

Harry figured that his relatives would leave him alone for the rest of the evening. With nothing else to do, he decided it would be best to get some real sleep, something he hadn't experienced in over a year. While his cot was no more comfortable than the thin mattress that he had slept on during the Horcrux hunt, he didn't have to worry about the threat of imminent death at the moment. Ignoring the slight sting on his right shoulder, he fell into a deep slumber.

Bang! Harry woke with a start, prepared to see the sneering face of one of his relatives, but being pleasantly surprised to see an excited Gabriel instead. As he looked over at the clock on the wall, he saw that he has severely overslept. It was nearly time to leave and meet Hermione! With a spring in his step, he stepped out from the cupboard. "Morning Gabe," he yawned, rubbing the sleep out from his eyes.

"Morning kiddo. Now, I'm just going to adjust a few things before we leave." Gabriel waved his hand in front of Harry, lengthening his hair and changing it to a shade of sandy blond. Harry's eyes changed from their trademark green to a dark brown, before finally his tattered clothing became simple yet well stitched robes. A very nondescript look, Harry would blend right into the crowd. "Perfect. You almost look like a miniature me. So, I won't be able to stay with you today. Clotho is concerned that if we immortals intervene with the Tapestry too much that it could warp the Fabric of Reality, so we need to try and keep these interactions to a minimum for now. As soon as I drop you off in the Alley, you should head straight to Gringotts and ask to talk to the manager of the Potter estate. Do it quietly so you don't draw any attention. If he kicks up a fuss, offer to provide a blood sample. That should shut him right up. Make sure that you get at least your section of the will read. Ready?"

"Ready," Harry nodded, eager to start the chain of events that would change the Fate of the wizarding world. A pop and sore knee later, and the pair had arrived at the Apparition point in Diagon Alley. When he turned around to thank Gabriel, he was greeted with thin air.

Being careful to avoid bumping into too many people, Harry quickly made his way towards the bank, only stopping to glare at a book display that had his face, or what the public believed he looked like, being used to attract customers. A book with the title 'The life and tales of the Boy-Who-Lived', by Rita Skeeter seemed to be the most popular item for sale. Harry frowned at how easily people seemed to accept the lies, despite no one actually seeing Harry since the night his parents died. And who had given Rita information for the story?

Deciding to ask the goblins if they knew anything about the book, Harry made his way into the bank. Only to be almost instantly attacked by what he thought must have been a small grizzly bear. Seeing the familiar faces of Hermione's parents over the shoulder of his attacker, he realised that the untamed mass of curls obscuring most of his vision was actually a young Hermione.

"Good to see you too Hermione. Would you mind… loosening up a little? I'm finding it a little hard to breathe." Harry managed to wheeze out.

Hermione quickly let go, blushing at her brash action. Clearing her throat, she began introducing her parents to Harry, forgetting that they had met a few times in their previous timeline. "Oh," she realised halfway through her introduction. "This whole timeline things is going to be a bit more confusing than I had hoped."

"Don't worry about it sweetheart, I'm sure it will get easier to deal with as time goes on. Though I'm not sure that I will ever get used to seeing the two of you so young again. And Harry, you are so small! We will have to work on getting some meat on those bones as soon as we can." Dr Jean Granger said, giving Harry a less bone crushing hug in greeting.

Dr Daniel Granger stepped forward and shook Harry's hand. "You should better to use to Jean mothering you like that Harry. After what Gabriel explained to us yesterday, you're practically family now. Jean's always wanted a second child, and she will use every opportunity to treat you as her own." Daniel smiled at the boy in front of him, already accepting the fact that Harry was destined to be his son in law one day. After Ronald Weasley, Harry was a massive improvement as a partner for his only daughter.

" By the way, I was wondering how did you guys recognised me?" Harry asked, gesturing towards his altered appearance.

"Oh that's simple sweetheart. Gabriel told us to look out for a miniature version of himself. And I have to say, he was pretty bang on in that description." Jean explained.

"Maybe now is a good time to go and talk to the goblins? I don't want to risk anyone overhearing us any more out in the open like this." Hermione said, gesturing around at the hall of Gringotts that they were in.

The group made their way towards an empty teller, until Harry recognised who the goblin was. Griphook. Realising that Griphook was likely one of the goblins that Dumbledore controlled, Harry carefully steered the group towards a different, hopefully not corrupt teller.

Stepping up the counter, Harry called forth a voice that he hoped had an air of confidence, knowing that the goblins despised any perceived weakness. "I would like to speak to the manager of the Potter Estates please." Harry said, being careful not to attract the attention of other customers.

The goblin looked down at Harry, sneering. Surely the child in front of him had no claims to the Potter Estate, and was just trying to waste the banks time. "Only the Potter heir has access to the Potter Estate manager, and you are clearly not Harry Potter," The goblin hissed, hoping to scare the child away. He was shocked when the child in front of him stood taller, and looked him in the eyes, anger written all over his face.

"I will prove it by blood," Harry sneered at the goblin, unimpressed with his rude demeanour. At the look of shock on the goblin's face, he figured he had said the right thing. The goblin quickly stepped down from his bench, and led the group towards an empty meeting room.

Producing what appeared to be a blank sheet of paper and small ornate dagger, the goblin indicated that Harry prick the skin of his thumb and smear the blood across the paper. With a wince at the small sharp pain, Harry watched as his blood began balling together and move towards the centre of the page. As the balls of blood came together, they began spreading out again, forming what appeared to be a rune. He could feel Hermione lean over his shoulder to examine the rune, something that she would surely research later. The rune began to glow gold, before disappearing. In its place, a red script began flowing over the paper, reading;

 _Crown Prince Harry James Potter,_

 _Heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter,_

 _Heir Apparent to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black,_

 _Heir through conquest to the Ancient and Noble House of Gaunt,_

 _Heir to the Lost Ancient House of Peverell,_

 _Heir to the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Gryffindor,_

 _Heir through conquest to the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Slytherin,_

 _Heir to the Throne of Hogwarts._

 _As Magic says, so mote it be._

The reactions of everyone in the room were varied. The goblin instantly turned a ghostly white, before profusely apologising and scurrying off to find the Potter Estate manager. Hermione kept rereading the list, cataloguing all of the information and pondering what the Throne of Hogwarts was. Daniel and Jean were confused by the list, wondering what it meant to be an heir through conquest.

Harry was simply shocked. He had known that he was the heir to House Potter, but he was expecting that to be the only house that would have appeared. He must be the Heir Apparent to House Black through Sirius, otherwise the line would die out if Sirius didn't have any children. The Houses of Gaunt and Slytherin must have passed to him when he defeated Voldemort as a child, since Voldemort didn't have an heir. Peverell and Gryffindor must have come from the Potter's generations ago, though he didn't understand how no one else had known about it. And what was the Throne of Hogwarts? Surely it didn't mean that silly chair that Dumbledore always sat in?

Just as the group started to thaw from their numbness, two important looking goblins walked into the room, followed by a squad of guards. The goblins sat down at the table while the guards began lining the room. One of the goblins, clearly very advanced in age, gestured to the group to sit down. As they did so, he introduced himself.

"I am Gringott the fifth, director of this esteemed bank, and my companion here is Ragnuk the third, manager of the Potter estates. I would first and foremost like to apologise for the behaviour of Nagnok the second. With the date of your expected arrival at Hogwarts drawing near, it seems that we have someone come in every other day claiming to be you or your magical guardian. I am curious though, as to why you do not have any of your vault keys in your possession?" Gringott enquired.

"I don't have any sir. The only vault key that I know about is in the hands of Albus Dumbledore, and I haven't seen him or anyone from the magical world since he left me with my abusive muggle relatives on the night that my parents died." Harry stated, hoping that this knowledge would be incriminating against the meddling old man.

"It is as we feared then. When Albus Dumbledore had himself instated as your magical guardian through the Ministry, we knew that something was afoot. The magical records at Gringotts clearly shows that Lord Sirius Orion Black is still your magical guardian, and the magic never lies. Since Lord Black was never given a trial for his perceived crimes, he was never actually sentenced. When a wizard is sentenced to Azkaban, his accounts are frozen and all magical titles revoked for the period of his sentencing. These changes are instantly reflected in the records of the bank. It was then that we realised that Dumbledore himself must have had a hand to play in the deceit, and so we did everything that we could to lessen the impact that he might have in our systems. We hid away any vaults belonging to your estates that he had no knowledge of, and locked down as many of the ones that he was aware of so that only you could access them. He tried to fool us over the years by bring in papers signed with your magical signature stating that he could access the vaults. We could clearly see that the signature was forged however, and insisted that you needed to be physically present in order for him to access the vaults. There was one vault however that he could access, and I am deeply saddened to say that he has nearly fully drained it over the years, only leaving enough money for you to use to pay for your tuition and expenditures during your time at Hogwarts. The sum of this gold is currently present in Vault 687, with a gold value totalling to just over one thousand galleons. I will leave it to Ragnuk to further discuss the Potter estates with you, as I am here for a more pressing matter. You will need to sign papers accepting the Houses of Gaunt and Slytherin, as well as accept the Lordship rings for all of your Houses. There is also the matter of the Heir Crown of Hogwarts, an artefact that has never been claimed since the Kings and Queens of Hogwarts created it." Gringott waved his hand, and a case of rings appeared on the table. Embellished on every ring was the crest of the House that it represented.

When Harry saw the Peverell ring, he shuddered, realising that it was the ring Horcrux. Almost as though reading his mind, Gringott explained, "The Peverell ring had the most unusual dark curses upon it when the magics of the bank summoned it. We were able to dismantle them, as well as destroy what we believed to be a soul fragment belonging to the self-styled Lord Voldemort. When we realised the significance, a replica of the ring was created using goblin magic, with a soul echo embedded within. Goblin magic is very different to wizarding magic, so only a goblin would be able to recognise that the replacement ring is a fake."

Hermione perked up at this, realising that the goblins magic might be able to safely remove the Horcrux in Harry's skull. When she voiced this thought, Gringott looked at Harry with a mixture of pity and hope. Pity that the young wizard had had to live with such a corruption for so many years, and hope that they could remove the fragment very quickly, and with some luck, with little pain as well.

"We could remove the fragment now if you wish? This will incur a fee of course, but we can just simply remove the fee from the Gaunt vault. While there is little left in that particular vault, what is left are dark artefacts that would be of no use to anyone, but are enough to cover the cost of the ritual that we must perform." At Harry's enthusiastic agreeance, Gringott summoned a team of curse breakers to begin preparing Harry.

Harry and Hermione were expecting there to be some backlash from the Horcrux when it was destroyed, like they had encountered with those that they had destroyed in the previous timeline. When nothing at all seemed to happen, they were concerned that the ritual hadn't worked. Suddenly, Harry's scar opened and a black ooze seeped from it, evaporating as it hit the air. Once all of the soul fragment was removed, the scar closed up and began rapidly fading. Within minutes, it was though the scar had never existed.

Harry gave a deep sigh of gratitude, thanking the team of curse breakers and Gringott for their services. He felt lighter than he ever had before, and was very glad in the knowledge that two Horcruxes had been destroyed in one day with very little fuss. If only it had been this easy the first time around, Harry mused. If only Dumbledore hadn't interfered.

Harry's attention was brought back to the rings in front of him. There were five rings all up, with a simple yet elegant crown sitting apart from the group. The crown was comprised of a dark grey metal that appeared have what looked like trees growing upwards from its thin band, making what could be interpreted as a forest. The Forbidden Forest, Harry realised. At the centre of the crown were five trees that appeared bigger than the rest and made of a different coloured metal. The far-right tree was made of a black metal, and instead of metal leaves were stones of bright yellow gems. Hufflepuff. Next to it and closer to the middle was a silver tree with leaves of bright green gemstone. Slytherin. On the far left was a bronze tree with leaves of a dark blue gemstone that reflected lighter in the light. Ravenclaw. Next to it was a golden tree with leaves of deep red. Gryffindor. The central tree was the largest of the five, and seemed to be a combination of the four house trees. Gold twirled with silver, bronze and black, with leaves of yellow, green, blue and red. In short, it was stunning.

"The House rings of Potter, Peverell and Gaunt do not require any magic to be performed in order to claim them, as the magics of the houses will automatically accept you as you are the sole heir. The rings of Gryffindor and Slytherin however are different. In order to claim these rings and their associated titles, you must make a vow to the rings, and the magics of the rings will assess you. If you are deemed acceptable, the ring will glow and you may claim it. If not, the ring will simply vanish back into the vault of the founder that it came from. Many have tried to claim these rings over the years, believing their claim to be legitimate, yet I have never witnessed a successful claiming. The titles of the Founders are not something that can be passed on through generations, but rather one that must be claimed not only by someone with the inheritance, but the magic as well. The last time someone successfully claimed a title was when Tom Riddle was made Lord Slytherin. However, as his magic began becoming darker and darker, the Lordship ring rejected him. If the presence of multiple Horcruxes is any indication, it could be assumed that the ring rejected him the first time that he split his soul. I feel that this will not be an issue for you however. I sense great lightness within you now that the soul fragment is not tainting your magical aura." Gringott held out the rings, indicating that Harry made his vows.

"I, Harry James Potter, do solemnly swear to uphold the values and magic of the Houses Gryffindor and Slytherin, for as long as I live. I swear to leave a legacy that future generations will benefit from, and bring honour to my Houses. So I say, so mote it be." Harry read from a piece of parchment that Ragnuk handed him.

A light enveloped Harry and the rings, indicating that the vow had been accepted. When Harry looked at the five rings in front of him, he realised that his hands were going to look quite silly wearing all of the rings at once. Seeing his dilemma, Gringott indicated that Harry place all of the rings on the same finger. Choosing the ring finger of his right hand, Harry was surprised to see the rings begin to meld together as he placed them on. When all of the rings had been placed, a ring that showed all five crests was created, forming a pentagram. In the middle of the pentagram was a stone that looked to be a swirling mass of emerald and ruby, with flecks of blue and yellow sapphire.

Gringott gave a toothy grin at the sight in front of him. He would surely be going down in the goblin and wizarding history books as the director of the bank that presented not one, but two of the legendary Lordships of Hogwarts. And to be to the same person, on the same day? The odds were nearly impossible. Gringott cleared his throat, now gesturing to the crown that was left. "The Crown of Hogwarts can only be claimed by someone that is pure of magic and soul, and carries at least one of the Lordship titles. In the event that there is more than one Lord or Lady of Hogwarts, magic chooses the most appropriate candidate. If magic decides that both candidates are equal, then a second crown is produced from the first. This is how the Founders of Hogwarts all became the Kings and Queens of Hogwarts. In those days, the Ministry for Magic had not yet formed, and the royalty of Hogwarts were the rulers of Magical Britain. Due to your age, you may not yet claim the title of King, but rather the title of Crown Prince. While it doesn't mean the same that it did all those years ago, it is sure to have a fair amount of political clout to the traditionalists in the Wizengamot." Gringott took the crown from its place, and motioned for Harry to kneel in front of him. The goblin delicately placed the crown on Harry's head, the circlet shrinking until it fit the boy perfectly.

As Harry stood, the two goblins and all of the guards bowed deeply. Hermione and Jean gave him a deep curtsy, while Daniel also gave a deep bow, all feeling incredibly blessed to have witnessed such a momentous occasion.

Harry felt quite embarrassed with the whole ordeal, not liking being the centre of so much attention. The weight of the crown on his head was unfamiliar, but not at all unpleasant. In fact, he felt revitalised, as though the crown had enchantments on it to boost his energy. 'Curious,' Harry thought. 'I will have to get it checked out by an enchantress'. But then Harry realised that he now had a crown, that was incredibly valuable, with nowhere to store it. Just as he thought about putting the crown away in his trunk once he purchased one, he felt it disappear from his head.

Seeing the alarm on his face, Gringott quickly reassured him that the crown was still in fact there, just hidden. Harry could choose when to display the crown, and need only think about it to make is disappear or reappear. It was likely Harry's thoughts of putting the crown away that initially caused it to vanish. Testing it out a few times, Harry felt assured that he could call upon the crown whenever he needed to. For now though, he decided he would keep it hidden. Testing out the same theory on the lordship ring, Harry discovered that not only could he hide the ring, but make it look like any of the five houses that he desired. A feature that would come in handy when it came to dealing with Dumbledore. While the old man might discover that he had claimed the House of Potter, he needn't know about the others. Yet.

Feeling satisfied with his results, Harry realised that he wanted to do one last thing before talking to Ragnuk about the Potter Estate. And, he realised, all of his new estates as well. Looking briefly at Hermione, he began asking Gringott, " Is it possible to do a blood test for Hermione here? See, her last name is Granger, and I thought that there might be a possible relation to Hector Dagworth-Granger, the noted Potions Master."

Hermione's eyes widened at the thought. While the possibility had briefly crossed her mind in the old timeline when Professor Slughorn had asked about the name, Hermione simply hadn't had time to look into the claim. While the chances were slim, it would go a long way into helping with the prejudice that she was exposed to in the original timeline. She would be a Half-Blood instead of a Muggleborn, even if her father was the descendant of a Squib.

Gringott brought forward another blank piece of paper and a dagger. As Hermione watched her blood ball together and form the rune, she wondered what the paper would tell her. Was she a Muggleborn or Halfblood? As the rune glowed gold, she held her breathe. The red flowing script began to appear much as it had before and what it said shocked her;

 _Crown Princess Hermione Jean Dagworth-Granger_

 _Heiress to the Lost Ancient and Most Noble House of Dagworth-Granger,_

 _Heiress to the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Ravenclaw,_

 _Heiress to the Throne of Hogwarts._

 _As Magic says, so mote it be._


	4. Chapter 4- I'm a what?

**Chapter 4- I'm a what?**

"There must be some kind of mistake! I mean, I… can't be a… a princess. I mean, I'm…. just Hermione. Just a normal witch." Hermione stated, not believing the parchment one bit. She kept mentally telling herself that the paper must be faulty, or that she had somehow done something to mess up the result. The idea that she was a princess of some kind was just simply preposterous.

Harry inwardly chuckled at her reaction, realising how similar her reaction was to his own when he first found out that he was a wizard in their old timeline. He made sure to keep his chuckle to himself though, knowing that an unsettle Hermione was a volatile Hermione. He didn't fancy being skewered by birds today, thank you very much.

Gringott cleared his throat, and tried to calmly placate the witch in front of him before she performed any accidental magic. "My lady, the parchment has never once been wrong. Assuming that the ring of Ravenclaw accepts you, it is possible that the Crown of Hogwarts will spawn a twin. If this does occur, you will indeed be crown princess. The magics of the titles wouldn't allow it otherwise. Now, rather than over thinking it, may I suggest that you attempt to claim the titles? I am sure that Ragnuk would be open to answering any questions you have about your lineage later on, provided of course that you consider him when choosing your estate manager. And I would highly recommend Ragnuk for the job. Never in all my years have a met a goblin more dedicated to his job, and so clear of corruption."

Once again Gringott summoned a case of rings. Much as before, the two rings within were embellished with the crest of the Houses of Ravenclaw and Dagworth-Granger. Hermione first reached forward for the Dagworth-Granger ring, choosing to wear it on the middle finger of her right hand. As she then made her vow to the ring of Ravenclaw, using much the same words that Harry did, the ring enveloped her in its glow. The feeling of the magic flowing over her was incredible! Hermione had never felt such a warm magic before. She felt it at the very core of her magic, and the best description that she could muster was that it felt as though her core was being hugged by her parents. Placing the Ravenclaw ring above the first ring, she watched with avid fascination as the two rings melded together. The ring that was formed had an infinity symbol etched onto it, with the crest of each house being encased by each of the loops.

Hermione watched in shock as a warm glow enveloped the crown on Harry's head, and gasped as she felt a second crown materialise on her own head. As with before, all of the occupants of the room bowed deeply, except for Harry, whom simply placed a kiss on her hand and gave a shallow bow. They were equals after all.

The lordship ring shifted to reflect the change, displaying a jewel in the centre of a deep sapphire, with the most unusual swirling flecks of yellow, green and red. Remembering how Harry was able to make his ring and crown disappear and reappear, Hermione figured it was best to test out these features. Once she was satisfied that she could summon both artefacts at will, she, like Harry, decided it was best to keep them hidden for now.

Gringott again bowed deeply at the royal children in front of him, stating that he must depart for now to attend to other bank matter. "Although I can safely say that none of my other priorities will be as thrilling as this. It is a day for the history books indeed. The return of magical British royalty. I am certain that you will help to bring much wealth and prosperity back to the realm, and bring in a new age for magical relations with races such as my own." Gringott bowed once more before leaving with a handful of the guard's present.

Ragnuk cleared his throat, indicating towards the remaining guards. "Due to your new and very important status, guards will be present at any meeting you may have with the bank. Fear not, for they are all under Unbreakable vows to never discuss what they might hear in these rooms. The confidentiality of our customers is our number one priority, followed closely by our security. After all, a safe bank is a secure bank, and a secure bank means more customers. Which equals more profits for us. Now, I will try to keep our meeting today as brief as possible, since I notice that Princess Hermione has already done her school shopping, but Prince Harry still needs to complete his. I have reports here from all seven accounts that the two of you hold, as well as a note from Lord Sirius Orion Black that states that Prince Harry may access one of his vaults. I believe the vault in question is mainly filled with paraphernalia from his time at Hogwarts, a collection of photographs, and an amount of gold. This was the vault that Lord Black used before he became Lord and inherited the ancient vaults of his House."

Ragnuk handed the pair a folder each, before giving both an ornate looking vault key. "Now we hope we weren't being presumptuous, but due to the nature of the Soul Bond that we sense between the two of you, you have both been keyed into each other's accounts. I hope that will suffice?"

Harry and Hermione shared a shocked look, before Hermione asked Ragnuk how it is that the goblins knew of the Bond. "Ah, a very good question my Princess. You see, magical creatures have a different kind of magic than our human counterparts. One of the gifts that we goblins have is the ability to see magical auras. It makes us natural bankers, as we can tell when we are dealing with corrupt people. It is also how we know that there are members of our own staff that are not exactly clean. While they do their best to disguise their aura, it still peeks through on occasion. As for your Bond, why, it's positively radiant. It is a swirling mass that flows right around you, flowing back and forth between the two of you. It is a blessing indeed to be able to witness such a rare and pure bond. Now that you wear the Lordship rings however, the Bond is disguised, and very well. I would say that it is a safety mechanism that was built into the rings of the Founders. While the Bond is a thing of beauty, it is a clear indicator to any that can see it that you are not only each other's greatest strength, but also greatest weakness. It is information that we goblins will carry to the grave, I assure you. Knowledge of your Bond will never be exposed by the Bank." Ragnuk explained while gathering up some papers.

"Now, something I think our young Prince will enjoy. I have here before me the Will of the Potter's. Since you are here and have claimed the Lordship ring, there is nothing that Dumbledore can do to prevent me reading it out to you. We will, however, do everything in our power to prevent Dumbledore from knowing about the events of today. A memory has been planted expertly on Griphook, showing you going down to vault 687 and withdrawing a small amount of gold before going on your merry way. While we know that Griphook is an agent to Dumbledore, we have decided that it is best to leave it be for now and instead use the connection to feed false information to the old fool. Is this agreeable to you, my Prince and Princess?" Ragnuk asked, again surprising the pair with how much the Bank had done for them, completely going on instinct. At the eager nods of the two, Ragnuk cleared his voice and began reading the Will of the Potter's.

"This is the Last Will and Testament of James Charlus Potter and Lily Jonquil Potter.

To Remus John Lupin, we leave the cottage on the land next to the Potter estates, in the hope that it might help him tame his pet wolf. We also leave him with ten thousand galleons in the hope that he will use it to help fund the refuge that he always wanted to make.

To Sirius Orion Black, we leave that damn motorcycle that he got James for Christmas, in hopes that he nearly crashes and tries to give his wife a heart attack with the beastly contraption. We also leave him with a sum of ten thousand galleons, even though he doesn't need it, so that he doesn't whine like a kicked puppy that Remus got money and he didn't.

To Peter Paul Pettigrew, we leave you nothing. Sorry mate, but Lily is still cranky that you dropped Harry down the stairs and laughed about it. Good thing magical babies really do bounce though eh? You will probably never see this since Lily will let me add you in next time we update the Will.

To Minerva Isobel McGonagall, we leave a wonderful collection of all thing cat related, in the hopes of pulling one final prank on her. As a proper gift, we also leave you with all of our notes from when the Marauders became Animagus. Shit, we forgot to tell you, didn't we? If you are finding out from this, we are so sorry Minnie. It was Sirius that pissed on your leg during your morning stroll all those years ago, just in case you were wondering. That being said, we took your notes from becoming an Animagus and basically cut the time needed in half. Our only wish is that you share these notes one day with Harry, as we are certain that he would be able to complete such a feat before the age of fifteen. Which is how old all us Marauders were, just to stir your cauldron a little bit more Minnie.

To Albus How-Many-Middle-Names-Do-You-Need? Dumbledore, we leave nothing. Something hasn't been right recently, and Lily suspects that something has been amiss for a while now. Albus Who-Cares Dumbledore is required to return any Potter artefacts that he may have in his possession. Use House elves if you must to ensure that all Potter property is returned to our estate.

Finally, to Harry James Potter. Son, we leave you everything else. All of the remaining properties, artefacts and gold belong to you. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Make sure that Ragnuk gives you a full report on everything, and thank the goblin for his good work. I wouldn't have half a clue how to properly manage the vast Potter fortune, and it surely would have crumbled without Ragnuk's management. Harry, you are the most precious thing in the world to us, and we sincerely hope that we see you start to become old and wrinkly before you need to read this. We will always be with you son. Always.

In the event that we pass away before Harry has reached his majority, he is to be placed with Sirius and Remus. If, Merlin forbid, they are unavailable to look after our cub, Harry is to be placed with Alice and Frank Longbottom, where he can be raised as a sibling to dear Neville. Under no circumstances is Harry ever to be placed with Petunia and Vernon Dursley. I don't care how improper it is to say it in the Will Lily, but those people are just plain fucked up. Don't do it. I will do everything I can to raise from the grave and beat the shit out of anyone that even thinks of leaving Harry with those intolerant bastards.

Remember how we were, and not what we could have become. Never dwell on what if's, because you only get one life. So, live it well.

Signed,

James and Lily Potter"

Harry teared up at the words of his parents, laughing a little at the one life comment. If only they knew that Harry was on his ninth life. He realised with a start that Dumbledore possibly possessed a lot more of his family's artefacts than he ever knew. He knew that right now, Dumbledore possessed at least the Cloak of Invisibility, and that he would naturally pass it back to Harry on Christmas, assuming that Harry and Hermione didn't do anything to arouse the old man's suspicion. "Ragnuk, is it possible to hold off on reclaiming the Potter artefacts that Dumbledore possesses? We don't want him to clue on that we know more than we should, and he would certainly be suspicious if he noticed that things were missing."

Ragnuk nodded, agreeing with the deceit. "Yes, we can delay the claiming for as long as you wish my Prince. If you ever change your mind, please feel free to send an owl with the order, or simply ask during a meeting. Nothing would please me more though than seeing the look of the old codgers face when he realises how many of his precious toys he has lost though." Ragnuk said with a hard glint in his eyes.

Hermione was curious as to why the goblins seemed to have such a deeply seated anger towards Dumbledore. But then Hermione remembered an obscure article that she had one read in the original timeline. In the article, it was briefly implied that Dumbledore was a driving force in a spate of Anti-goblin reforms. The reforms restricted where goblins could work, how much they were paid and even went as far as making the murder of a goblin by a wizard a simple misdemeanour crime, instead of the full crime of murder. While Dumbledore seems to have done the best to cover his tracks, it appeared that the goblins knew full well who to blame for their disgusting lack of rights. It made Hermione's blood boil, and she mentally vowed to do whatever she could to have the laws abolished one day.

Harry decided that he wanted to ask one last thing for now before they descended into the vaults. "Ragnuk, I was wondering if you could tell us how we access Potter Manor, or any of the other properties that we own?"

"Well that is rather simple my Prince. All you need to do is tap your lordship ring with your wand and state the properties name. For example, the main Potter estate is simply called Potter Manor, whereas one of the smaller manors that you own is called Summer Retreat. All of the properties are listed in the report that you have, split up by the House that you inherited it from. In the case of the Founders, there is also a wing of Hogwarts that you have access to, which is unlocked using the rings. It is said that each of the Founders has left behind a journal in that wing, and I would bet that more of the Founders ring abilities, as well as the abilities and secrets of your crowns could be found within those ancient pages. " Ragnuk stated while gathering up any loose papers. The goblin stood and gestured towards the doors of the meeting room, guiding the group down to the tunnels.

Harry realised something that might go terribly wrong while they were inspecting the vaults. There was no doubt in his mind that most of the vaults that they were about to examine were located deep in the tunnels, in the high security section. While the dragons and sphinxes guarding the vaults didn't both him, one of the other security measures did. The Thief's Downfall. "Ragnuk, I have a concern. See, I had a friend place a few magical glamours on me before we arrived in the Alley so that Dumbledore wouldn't catch wind of what I was up to today. And I've just realised that we will probably need to pass through the Thief's Downfall in order to reach some of the vaults. Is there anything that we can do to stop us from being flung from the cart? See, I've grown rather attached to life, and want to hold onto it for just a little bit longer."

Ragnuk chuckled at the dark humour. He had sensed the powerful glamours the first time that he was close to Harry. The signature of the spell was so subtle however, that only a magically skilled goblin would be able to detect it, due to the ability of magical creatures to detect changes in the aura of a wizard. Whoever had cast the glamour was obviously a magical creature and very powerful. "No need to worry my Prince. You are not the first, and certainly not the last customer of this bank that requires anonymity. A little-known fact about the Thief's Downfall is that it first determines your intents. If the magic reads that you have no intention of stealing, the Downfall recedes as we pass through it. If not… well. Having all glamours washed off of people makes for easier identification of bodies."

Feeling satisfied that death was not approaching, the group gathered in the cart and began travelling towards their first stop. Since it was closer to the top, they would be inspecting Vault 687 before travelling down to the larger and more well protected family vaults.

After looking inside the familiar vault, Harry decided that it was best to leave it as is for now. He would remove the funds required for his education closer to his arrival at Hogwarts, just in case Dumbledore was monitoring the vault. Ragnuk explained that this was the only personal vault that Harry owned, and that the rest were family vaults. When a family member died, the contents of their personal vault were transferred to their family vault if one existed, before being distributed as per their will. Ragnuk told Harry that he would have been keyed into the personal vault of Sirius if it wasn't for Dumbledore, who had the vault locked down when Sirius was falsely imprisoned. So despite having permission from the Lord Black, Sirius himself would need to be present in order to unfreeze the account. 7

The way that the Gringotts vaults worked was fascinating. Vaults were split into seven categories; The Bank vaults, which consisted of Vaults 1-3. These vaults contained Knuts, Sickles and Galleons respectively, with precious gems divided equally between the three. Only the goblins had access to these vaults, located on the lowest floor of the bank.

The next category began on the second lowest level; The vaults of the Ancient and Most Ancient families. These vaults took up 4 floors, and were the most protected vaults in the entire bank. The entrance to this section of the bank and lower was protected by the Thief's Downfall, with each level protected by a magical creature. As much as Hermione despised the treatment of the creatures, she could not fault how effective they were at deterring would be thieves. She still had nightmares of her encounter with the Ukrainian Ironbelly in the original timeline.

The third category of vault was those belonging to Noble Houses that were not considered ancient. These vaults were still well protected, but not as extensively as Ancient vaults. The Most Noble Houses had better protection than the Noble houses, simply due to the wealth of the family. This was a large section the levels of the bank, encompassing ten levels.

The fourth category was unusual, as these vaults did not belong to families, but rather to businesses. These were the most expensive vaults in the bank to maintain, as there were greater stipulations on these vaults. From a business vault, wages could be distributed quickly and efficiently directly into the recipient's personal or family vault. Employees could also be keyed in to withdraw funds for day to day business use, such as purchasing stock or paying a contractor. Due to this, many charms were in play to prevent employees skimming extra money for themselves.

The fifth category of vault was those belonging to Minor houses that could afford a level of protection. This was by far the most common type of vault that Gringotts currently managed. The vaults in this section ranged from large to small, depending on the wealth of the family.

Personal vaults were the sixth category, and were generally used by the children of a House, allowing the child to have a limited amount of spending money during their time at Hogwarts. It was also later used by people that were estranged from their family and did not want any money that they earned being claimed by their Head of House.

The last category of vault was seen as being somewhat shameful. The Ministry Vaults were cheap subsidized vaults available to Ministry employees and their families if they could not afford to maintain a higher level of vault. There was minimal protection on these vaults, with the main defence being the key that was required to unlock the vault. Despite being an Ancient House, the Weasley's could not afford the maintenance of the high security vaults. Harry had always wondered how it was that the Weasleys could be so poor, despite the family being around in the wizarding world for as long as they had. Harry decided that there was no harm in asking Ragnuk.

"Well my Prince," Ragnuk said, "Normally I wouldn't be able to answer a question like that. But since the reason was printed in the Daily Prophet, allbee it years ago, I can reveal that information to you. It appears that there were two contributing factors that led to Septimus Weasley, Father of the current Head of House, Arthur Weasley, losing the family fortune. Note that I say Head of House rather than Lord. House Weasley is the only Ancient House that does not have a Lord due to their financial status. While it does not cost them their Ancient Seat on the Wizengamot, it does cost the social status and use of certain amenities during such meetings. Septimus Weasley married Cedrella Black, resulting in Cedrella being disowned by her family. Cedrella was used to a lavish lifestyle, and Septimus made a fool of himself trying to keep her happy. I dare say that half of the modest Weasley fortune was spent on ball gowns and frivolous parties."

"What remained of the Weasley fortune was donated to Albus Dumbledore to help, and I quote, 'Fuel the war effort' during the first war with Voldemort. Load of Hippogriff shit if you ask me. With the amount of families that donated to the 'Greater Good', Dumbledore would have had enough resources to build a replica of Hogwarts, wards and all. I've always had the suspicion that Dumbledore did indeed use a majority of those funds for his own costly projects, and not the war effort. Besides, self-proclaimed 'Leader of the Light' or not, all Dumbledore did was lead a mismatched group of vigilantes. You would not believe the number of crime scenes a member of the Order of the Phoenix fucked ten ways to Sunday. Imagine a muggle police officer walked into a murder scene, but found that a dog had come in and chewed on all the evidence, while simultaneously pissing over the entire crime scene."

Daniel Granger's curiosity was peaked. Before going into dentistry, he had considered a career in law. He also remembered hearing Hermione mention the unorganised chaos of the group in the original timeline. "Ragnuk, I'm curious. How was this Order of the Phoenix allowed to continue on as it was? Surely they were breaking laws, at least by obstructing justice, at worse by attempted murder? I don't' imagine the Aurors would have taken too kindly to untrained wizards playing at their jobs."

"To put it simply Sir Granger, Dumbledore. That man has too much power with his roles as Supreme Mugwump and Chief Warlock. Combined with his influence of Headmaster, he simply had the matter brushed to the side, stating that the members of the Order of the Phoenix were just concerned members of society trying to help the authorities out in those troubled times. He gave them no additional training which resulted in messy fights. Did you know, shortly before Fabian and Gideon Prewett died, they accidentally killed an Auror with a wayward spell? But, I think it is time to get back to the matter at hand. If we keep talking at this rate, you might need to come back another day to complete the Prince's shopping. And, I might image after seeing the contents of the vaults that your daughter now possesses, some robes that are quite literally fit for a Queen." Ragnuk said, while placing the required vault number in the carts navigation system.

Hermione looked a little pale. She hated these carts.

* * *

A/N Another week, another chapter.

So an issue that I want to address. In case it's not obvious from the pairs listed in the stories bio, this story is going to have at least one couple that is not hetrosexual. If you have an issue with that, turn away now. If you come here spewing any sort of homophobic hate speech, you will get no sympathy from me. Wolfstar is one of my favourite ships, and I intend to give them the love, attention and details that they deserve. On the question of Gabriel, I highly recommend watching any episode of Supernatural that he appears in, since that is what I have based his behaviour on. He has no filter, isn't the best at the whole human thing, and is not to be taken seriously all the time.

And honestly. Hating on a fictional character written by some random on the internet? Please. I implore you to just... try. Try and see things from a different perspective. Because there are a lot worse things in the world than me writing a story that, in the grand scheme of things, so little people will actually read.

A lesson for today. Never combat hate with more hate, because all that will do is breed more hate. Love as hard as you can for as long as you can, because unlike Harry and Hermione, we don't all get another chance.

Coming up in the next chapter- What mysterious artefacts will our duo find down in the vaults? Find out on the next episode of Dragon Ball Z.


	5. Chapter 5- I was banking on it

**Chapter 5- I was banking on it**

Each of the seven Houses that Hermione and Harry were now Heads of had one vault each, differing in size. They decided it would be best to visit the vaults in order of house status, from lowest to highest. Since the name of Peverell had died out before the Noble system was implemented for houses outside of the Founders, it was only considered Ancient, and therefore was the closest to the surface, but not by much. Vault 50 was still considered to be incredibly prestigious, as was any vault that was double digit or less. Within was more gold than Harry had ever seen, with countless artefacts ranging from jewellry to suits of armour, and even ancient wands. Curious, Harry picked each wand up and tested its compatibility. None of the wands felt quite right, but they all bent to his will easily enough.

Moving on, the next vault to visit was the Ancient and Noble House of Gaunt. While Harry had thought that the family was poor due to the shack that he had seen them living in through memories, it turns out that this was because the branch of Gaunt that Voldemort was born to was not the main Household. Voldemort became Lord Gaunt after he murdered the current Lord of the House and any other Heir that was before him. In the end, he had singlehandedly ended an entire House of twenty members. Ragnok warned that many dark artefacts resided within the vault that were likely to attack the group, considering that they were all either Half-bloods or Muggles. He suggested that the gold within could be transferred to another of the vaults that Harry owned, and that the upkeep of the Gaunt Vault could be withdrawn from another vault as well. At Harry's agreeance, the group moved on.

Jean gasped as she saw the crest on the next vault, Vault 27. Clear as day was the crest of Granger, except it was actually the crest of Dagworth- Granger. The crest had not changed at all when Dan's Squib ancestor was shunned from the family. Within the vault were family heirlooms, a mountain of Galleons, and to Hermione's delight, books. Judging from the titles present, her ancestors had an affinity for charm work and transfiguration. It took the efforts of her parents and Harry combined to drag her from the vault, and only then it was at the promise that they would come back again soon to gather some books.

Harry felt himself grow anxious as they approached the last vault on level 3. Vault 8, the oldest vault that was not Goblin currency storage or a Founder's Vault, belonged to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter. Within the vault were mountains of coins, with numerous shelves of artefacts, books and old wands.

As he approached the display of wands, he saw that each had a plaque below it, stating the owner of the wand. At the end of the line, he found the most recent additions. The wands of his parents still looked like new, free from the wear and tear that he could see present on some of the wands in the display. Thinking along the same lines, Hermione pointed out that each plaque had the age of the witch or wizard when they died. Those wands that belonged to family members that led long lives were more worn than that of those that had died younger. Sadly, the wands of his parents were not the freshest wands in the display. It appeared that many members of the family were killed during 1652. Ragnok explained that that was likely due to the Potter Massacre that occurred at that time. A budding Dark Lord at the time opposed the Statute of Secrecy that the Potter's had helped bring into law. As revenge, he nearly wiped out the entire family. The wands of children as young as 11 were testament to the devastation caused.

Feeling overwhelmed, Harry simply filled a money pouch that he found with coins. Curious as to why the pouch didn't seem to be filling up, he looked to Ragnok for guidance. Ragnok simply told him to look up, as the goblin put money in the pouch. As a Galleon was dropped in, a Galleon just simply appeared in the ceiling and dropped onto the nearest pile of coins. Ragnok demonstrated how this worked in reverse, reaching his hand in again. Harry saw the pile of coins move as though someone was rummaging through it, before he saw a handful of Galleons disappear from the pile. Looking back at Ragnok, he saw the goblin holding a fist of coins. Ragnok explained that the pouch was keyed to withdrawn gold from whatever House was currently present on the House ring that Harry and Hermione wore, and that only they would be able to withdraw coins this way from the House. If someone else attempted to withdraw coins from the pouch, they would simply be withdrawing coins from their own vaults. Harry made sure that Hermione had her own enchanted money bag before the group left the vault.

All that was left now was the Vault's of the Founders. The second lowest floor of the bank was entirely dedicated to the four vaults. The cart stopped at the entrance of a large hall that was reminiscent in design to the Great Hall of Hogwarts. At the end of the hall was a massive crest of Hogwarts, embellished with precious gems that twinkled in the torchlight. On the two side walls were two doors each, the Vault of each Founder. To the side of each door were statues of creatures on the crests. The badgers guarding the Vault of Hufflepuff looked more like mighty bears, as they were on their hindquarters and ready to fight with their paws. The giant ravens of Ravenclaw had their massive wings spread and beaks open. The snakes of Slytherin were coiled, ready to strike at a moment's notice. The griffin of Gryffindor was positioned just as it was in the crest; it's wing spread, with its front claws raised in the air about to lash out at it's enemies.

The group was surprised when the heads of the statues turned to look at them, almost as though they were determining whether the newcomers were worthy. The closest vault on the left hand side belonged to Ravenclaw. As Hermione approached the door, the ravens became more defensive, before they immediately calmed, folding their massive wings in. The guardians had accepted Hermione's claim to the House, and allowed the group to enter.

The vault was Hermione's dream come true. The vault was twice the size of the library at school, and was filled with row after row of bookshelves. In the back section of the vault were mountains of gold and gems, but it was clear that the wealth of this vault lay in the contents of the pages upon pages of the books within. If Harry had thought that dragging Hermione out of the Dagworth-Granger vault was hard, he was wrong. It was clear that Hermione would be perfectly happy to live out the rest of her days in the Ravenclaw vault, not even leaving for food or sleep. She would simply have someone bring her food, and why shouldn't she simply move a bed in somewhere?

Her attention was drawn though to a pedestal in the middle of the room. The bookcases seemed to be centred around the elegantly carved marble slab. The two items present were a curious pair. A large intricately carved bow was laid flat. The wood that the bow was made of appeared to be made of a swirling combination of woods, yet were bonded together so well that it was though they had grown together. A wand of the same peculiar wood combination sat next to the bow. Hermione gasped when she realised that before her were the fabled long bow of Rowena Ravenclaw and her beloved wand. Hermione reached forward and grasped the wand, and was nearly knocked over by the sensation. The feeling was indescribable, it was though she was holding a piece of herself. It made the vinewood wand that she had received from Ollivander's that morning feel inferior in comparison. She made the decision there and then that she could never be separated from this new wand, as it would possibly feel like losing a limb. The wand was truly an extension of herself.

As she explained the sensation to Harry and her parents, a note appeared in the wands place. It appeared that Rowena had left behind information concerning the wand and its unique wood types.

The wand was made from a combination of six woods and one core. The woods had been grown together as one tree by Helga Hufflepuff, and consisted of; Acacia, Cherry, Fir, Larch, Rowan and Walnut. The core however, was incredibly unique, as it contained a pair of feathers from two equally unique ravens. Rowena's own familiars, Huginn and Muninn, the messenger ravens of the Norse God Odin.

The note also explained that the battle bow was made of the same wood and core. This gave the bow magical properties, allowing the user to summon arrows of pure magic. It was a truly incredible creation. Rowena explained that her heir would be able to summon the bow when it was required by using her wand. Only her wand would be able to summon the bow, as the two weapons had matching cores.

Deciding to discuss the implications of Hermione having two wands later, the group moved on to the next vault. Next to the Ravenclaw vault was the vault on Gryffindor. Harry decided that the best course of action would be to bow to the mighty griffin guardians. After examining him, the griffins both sat down, allowing the group to pass.

Where the Ravenclaw vault was filled with books, the Gryffindor vault was filled with armour and weapons. While maces and battle axes were present, it was obvious that Gryffindor had a love of swords. None however, was more magnificent than the sword that Harry instantly recognised in the center of the room. The Sword of Gryffindor. As in the Vault of Ravenclaw, there was also a wand next to sword. Harry was curious to see if this wand would be as good of a match to him as Ravenclaw's was to Hermione.

Grasping the wand, Harry instantly understood exactly what Hermione had been trying to say. It was though he had lost an arm at birth, and had finally been reconnected to it. The sensation of the holly and phoenix feather wand that still lay within Ollivander's paled in comparison to the Wand of Gryffindor. As before, a note appeared explaining the wand and the sword. The Wand of Gryffindor was also made of six types of wood and one core. The woods had once again been grown together as one tree by Hufflepuff, and consisted of ; Apple, Cherry, Fir, Larch, Redwood and Rowan. The core was made of a feather gifted to Godric by his familiar, a mighty Griffin.

The Sword of Gryffindor was a curiosity however. Most swords were forged with metal, but at the core of the sword was the same wood and griffin feather that the wand was made of. The process had taken Godric many years to perfect, and in the end required him to train under a master goblin swordsmith. So while the sword was considered to be goblin forged in technique, it was indeed forged by Godric himself. The sword could be summoned the same way as Rowena's battle bow. When Harry grasped the sword, he realised that this was not the same sword that he had felt before. He felt magic in this sword, whereas the sword that he had wielded in his original timeline had felt like any other sword. As it turns out, Godric had explained this in his note. A fake sword, although still goblin forged, had been displayed at the school as a show piece. It was never intended for actual use.

Harry took the wand, and the group moved on to the final vault. Directly across from the Vault of Gryffindor was the Vault of Slytherin. Harry wasn't sure what to expect from this vault. Ordering the snakes to stand down using Parseltongue, the group entered the vault cautiously. What they found however, was curious. Lining the walls of the vault were painting from famous muggle painters. Many of these works of art had been thought to be lost to the ages. Many sculptures, again by muggle artists were displayed in the vault. Harry was confused. Slytherin had been said to hate any human that wasn't a Pureblood.

Ragnok could see the confusion evident on the groups face's, and cleared his throat to get their attention. "My Prince, the memory of wizarding kind seems to be a rather short one at times. But the goblins remember. Salazar Slytherin was not the bigot that you have been led to believe that he was. Salazar believed that all magical creatures, regardless of their blood, should have the opportunity to hone their skills. It was in 1926 that the history books changed, painting him in the light that you believe. Albus Dumbledore told Bathilda Bagshot that he had found the diary of Lord Slytherin at Hogwarts, and that the contents of it revealed Slytherin to be a blood purist. No evidence that such a diary exists has ever been found, however the public were more than happy to believe what the up and coming great wizard Dumbledore had to say. And so, Bathilda released an updated version of her History of Magic book. And no one was any the wiser. Slytherin's name had been besmirched as a dark wizard, when us goblins remember him in history as being one of the most compassionate wizards to have ever lived. Most wizards that would remember the truth are either dead, senile, or were too young to remember a time when Slytherin was seen as good. "

Harry nodded at the explanation, remembering all the books that had been written about himself, and how there was barely a lick of truth in any of them. Pressing forward, Harry approached what had now become a familiar sight. Another pedestal in the middle of the room, with a wand and weapon atop of it. Harry had no doubt that there would be a similar sight inside of the Hufflepuff vault. Next to the Wand of Slytherin was an ornate dagger with a carved wooden handle. The end of the dagger was embellished with emeralds, and the cross guard appeared to be made of a single piece of emerald. Testing the weight in his hands, Harry felt the same connection that he did to the real Sword of Gryffindor. 'Surely I wouldn't find a second wand in the Wand of Slytherin?' Harry thought to himself.

Almost as if to spite him, Harry felt the exact same connection that he did to his Gryffindor wand as he grasped the Wand of Slytherin. As had become customary, a note appeared explaining the weapons. The dagger had been forged by Godric using goblin techniques, and was charmed by Rowena to be able to pierce anything. Salazar had mainly used this feature in his potion preparations, claiming that the dagger gave him the cleanest cut ingredients possible. The woods for the wand and dagger had again been grown by Helga, and consisted of; Aspen, Cherry, Fir, Larch, Redwood and Rowan. The core was made of a fang gifted to him by his basilisk familiar. Harry found it odd that Slytherin would have such a deadly creature as a familiar.

Satisfied that they had explored the vaults sufficiently for now, the group was about to prepare to leave the bank when Harry remembered one last item of business. "Ragnok, I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the protections that are placed on our Lordship rings?"

"Why of course my Prince. There are more in depth details stated in the files that you have been given, but I can give you a general idea. Your rings will take on the most powerful enchantments that were present on the individual Lordship rings, so I can safely say that a majority of the ones present will be from the Founder's rings. There is warding against harmful potions and poisons, Legilimency and the Imperius curse. There also seems to be additional warding against hostile curses and the Confundus charm. It seems that your ancestors wanted to protect themselves as much as possible. Your crowns have an additional piece of warding against any form of truth serum." Ragnok explained.

Harry thanked the goblin for his time and service, his eyes widening in shock when he realised that he had spoken fluent Gobbledygook. Hermione told him that it was a rare property from the Applewood in the Wand of Gryffindor. Harry would find himself being able to speak the native tongue of all magical creatures, an ability that would surely be useful in the future.

The group decided that it would be best to go to the Leaky Cauldron before they did any more shopping. Lists of items needed to be made, and plans needed to be plotted. Harry smiled as they walked towards the pub. Things were beginning to come together.

* * *

A/N. Wow guys what a big week it's been. Game of thrones, a new new new new Doctor. Talk about some stiff competition eh?

So I'm loving what you guys are saying about where character loyalties lie, and it's actually what I had planned on doing. For those waiting for the return of our beloved Snuffles, fear not. I plan on getting him out sooner than third year. In fact, if my characters are nice to me, we should be able to manage it towards the end of first year.

A note to remember in this chapter is that Harry doesn't have a ring for House Black, and therefore can't access the ancestral vault.

Also, in case anyone is wondering about me potentially making Harry and Hermione overpowered, don't worry. They are actually going to have to work hard to earn their abilities and even more so to perfect them. They are still very mortal and potentially fallible.

I'm currently working on a big bad list of all things Albus Dumbledore using the Potter wikia. There's so much obscure lore that I'm coming across. For example, Parseltongue is a magical language, which implies that it can't be learnt. However, one of the noted skills of Dumbledore is that he can understand the language. Curious isn't it? It's almost like he is either lying about it... Or the more obvious answer that he himself is a Parseltongue. Which begs another disturbing question. If he can understand the language for whatever reason, how is it that he didn't hear the basilisk in CoS? Unless, perhaps, he played a hand in it as another test for Harry.

What's your favourite piece of obscure Harry Potter knowledge?


	6. Chapter 6- We shopped 'til we dropped

Chapter 6- We shopped 'til we dropped.

Daniel Granger decided that he really loved old Tom, barkeep of the Leaky Cauldron. There had to be some sort of magical ingredient that the man used in his cooking, because not even his dear grandmother's stew could soothe his soul the way that Tom's did. And after the last twenty-four hours that Dan had had, it would take a lot to calm him. The sensation of his mind rapidly moving through time had been jarring to say the least. He and Jean had been minding their own business, watching a real estate show set in Australia, when suddenly they were six years younger and looking into the face of their equally suddenly eleven year old daughter. He still had a migraine from the explanation that the archangel had given. And don't even get him started on the whole Gabriel thing. The time travel he could understand since Hermione had told him all about Time-Turners, but Gabriel had really thrown a spanner in his works. He was an atheist after all! When the first thing he did was tell Gabriel about that, the archangel just chuckled and said 'Same'. How the fuck was he supposed to react to that?

Shaking his head to clear away the strange memory, he focused on the scene in front of him. Harry and Hermione were laughing at stories from their original timeline. It bought a smile to his face to see his daughter so relatively care-free. During the last few years in the original timeline, he had watched his daughter turn from a bookish girl trying to prove her worth, into a battle hardened warrior that knew her strength. At least this situation might let her actually enjoy her childhood for just a bit longer. 'No,' Dan thought. 'She is already making plans on how to change things. Knowing Hermione, she won't stop planning until she has explored every variable. And now, with her knowledge of the future, there are nearly infinite paths. I wonder which ones she and Harry will take.'

Finding out that the boy in front of him was his daughter's Soul Mate didn't shock Dan as much as it probably should have. During her early years at Hogwarts, Harry was all his daughter could talk about. Her best and most loyal friend, Dan had accepted that Harry would always be in Hermione's life, whether as her constant friend or her partner in life. He had been shocked when the letters changed in Hermione's sixth year. Nearly all mention of Harry had disappeared, and his name had been replaced with Ronald Weasley. The Granger's had been very confused. Wasn't this Ron the one that treated their tenuous friendship as something that could be thrown away at a moments notice if he didn't like something that Hermione had said? Wasn't it the same Ron that had nearly killed her in her first year because he couldn't keep his cruel mouth shut? The very same boy that had thrown Harry to the dragon's because the boy was jealous that Harry had been put in another deadly situation against his will?

It hadn't made sense at all until Gabriel had told them about the Love potions that had been purged from Hermione's system. The way that Hermione had been acting during her last summer in the original timeline had suddenly made sense. For the first week, Hermione had done nothing but talk about how glad she was that Ron had broken up with Lavender. She was so lovesick that she hadn't even shed a tear that Dumbledore, a man whom she believed at the time was the epitome of good, had died. No, the tears began on the second week, when the Love potions had began to wear off.

Dan looked at Harry again and decided that he would do everything that he could to be a father to the boy. He had heard from Hermione that the boy was mistreated by his family, but had chosen to believe that maybe she was exaggerating a bit. He could see now that she obviously didn't even know the half of it. Daniel had seen better treated kids in the charity dentistry program that they participated in for mothers and children that had left an abusive household. Even under the glamours, Harry looked like he had been practically starved for most of his life, and as much as he was trying to hide it, bruised. No more, Dan decided. No longer.

Unaware of her father's thoughts, Hermione had began planning with Harry how they would tackle his shopping. Price was no longer an issue for either of them, and they decided to take full advantage of the fact. Both teens decided that a top of the line trunk was in order. The best trunks that money could buy were so well protected, that breaking into one was as hard as breaking into Gringotts. It would take days to disarm all of the charms and traps on the chest, and by that point the would-be-thief would be caught. Combined with a Sticking charm that was keyed to the owner of the trunk, and it wasn't going anywhere. There was at least one person in Gryffindor house that had sticky fingers, and they both believed that it was Ron.

The other advantage of the top of the line trunks was the Undetectable Extension charms. Both Hermione and Harry planned on buying many books to study, so the charm would get a good workout. Hermione decided that she wanted to buy every history book that she could get her hands on so that she could try and find more cases where Dumbledore had interfered with the truth. Harry wanted to buy books on Magical Law, so that he could try and get Sirius out of Azkaban as soon as possible, while incriminating Dumbledore as much as he could.

Before shopping for anything else though, they both decided unanimously that Harry should go and get his wand from Ollivanders first. They wanted to keep their Founder wands a secret for as long as they could, and they knew that Garrick Ollivander would undoubtedly alert Dumbledore if Harry never went to him for his wand. They decided it would be best for Harry to go in without Hermione, as her presence might attract questions that he wasn't prepared to answer.

"Shit. Hermione, there's a slight issue with our plan. I don't exactly look like myself at the moment, and there's just a one hundred percent chance that Ollivander will realise and tell Dumbledore." Harry told Hermione in a panic. As he did so however, a note floated down in front of him, seemingly appearing out of thin air. The handwriting was becoming very familiar to him as to belonging to Gabriel.

'Don't panic kiddo, I'm not stalking you. I've been listening in all day in case you needed me to drop the glamours. While I can't physically be there, there's no risk of ripping Reality if I influence your world from mine. A weird loophole, I know. But, it rather works in our favour. So, I can drop your glamour as you walk into the shop, and put it back up as you leave. As an added bonus, I've been working on a little… Something something. Garrick Ollivander will believe that you have arrived to get your wand on your birthday, and that you are being escorted by Hagrid, just as this event happened in your original timeline. I'm also implanting the memories of that day onto Rubeus Hagrid as well. As nice as that friendly giant is, there is no denying that he is loyal to Dumbledore to a fault. I had been planning on doing the same for Griphook, but it appears that the goblins got there before I did. So, feel free to shop until your legs feel like you have had a Jelly-legs jinx cast on you, and have fun,' The note read. Harry felt that weight lift off his his shoulders, and sent a silent thanks to his favourite archangel.

He handed the note to Hermione, and smiled at the way her face lit up. He could see her brain ticking at the possibilities, and he fell for her just that little bit more. Before he has started being drugged with love potions, Harry had been trying to work up the courage to ask her out. He had never told anyone, not even Ron, how he had felt about his female best friend. But, he realised, someone had known. He cast his mind back to his sixth year, when he had begun exploring Riddle's memories with Dumbledore. What a waste of time that had been. But, what struck Harry was a question that Dumbledore had asked about Hermione. About whether she was more than a friend to Harry. Dumbledore must have been testing if the Love potions keyed to Ginny had taken ahold of him yet. Harry sighed, thinking that they would need to try and compile a year by year list of Dumbledore's meddlings so that they could try and prevent them.

Deciding that there was no time like the present, the group departed the pub and went back into the Alley. It was a good thing that Hermione had already gotten her 'Ministry approved' wand, as she was able to open the brick doorway. Ollivanders was the furthest shop from the entrance, so they

decided that they would go straight there and work their way back towards the Leaky Cauldron. As usual, the Alley was quite busy with early school shoppers. Some families liked to get the school shopping out of the way as soon as possible so that the children could have the opportunity to study their textbooks. The Weasley's did no such thing, and left it all to the last minute, the same way that they always arrived at the Hogwarts express with barely moments to spare. And so Harry was surprised when he saw flash of Weasley red hair and the jarring voice of Molly Weasley.

It appeared that the group had just arrived, as Molly appeared to be giving the five children in front of her instructions. Harry decided to move a little bit closer, curious as to what she could be saying. She had never looked so serious about a Diagon Alley visit that he had ever seen in the original timeline, and he quickly discovered why.

"Now kids, you have a very special job today. With some luck, Ron will be meeting his new best friend, and Ginny will be meeting her future husband. Now, you all remember what Harry looks like yes? Professor Dumbledore said that you would all be rewarded if we did a good job. Now, chop chop. Ginny, you stay with me darling. " Molly Weasley said as she split her children up. Fred and George walked towards the Leaky Cauldron, Ron went towards Ollivanders, and Ginny and Molly went to Gringotts. If it weren't for his disguise, Harry would have been effectively penned in.

The group thought it was best to follow behind the youngest male Weasley, and see if they could sneak Harry into Ollivander's when the dimwit wasn't looking. It didn't take long though for them to realise that once again, Ron was half-assing his job. Instead of stopping at Ollivander's, Ron went a little further and across the street to a curious shop called Odds and Ends. The store sold well… Odds and Ends. There was nothing that the store wouldn't buy and attempt to sell. What had gotten Ron's attention was the semi functioning brooms currently on display. Using the opportunity, Harry slipped into the wand shop.

The wand shop was just as Harry remembered it. Creepy. It was curious how he had never seen another soul in the shop, yet it was where everyone in magical Britain bought their wand from. Then again, how often did people buy wands? Garrick Ollivander was guaranteed at least forty to sixty customers each year, depending on how many students were about to start their first year at Hogwarts. And even then, some students received a hand me down wand, like Ron or Neville.

Harry knew that somewhere amongst the rows and stacks of wands lay the Holly and Phoenix tail wand that he had used in the original timeline. He was eager to compare the feeling of the wand to that of the Founder's wands. Would it feel weak in comparison, or would it be suitable as a day to day wand? He knew that regardless of the outcome, he needed a wand that would be registered with the Ministry that wouldn't cause alarm. All of the wands that he had ever seen had been made of a single wood type and one core. The sight of a wand made of six different woods would attract questions that he and Hermione weren't ready to answer.

Ollivander arrived at the front of the store much as he had in the original timeline, without any deviance from his speech either. Perhaps it was the same spiel that he used for all of his customers.

As quickly as he had began, a wand was handed to Harry. Harry knew instantly that the wand was wrong; Where he felt his magic flow through his Founder's wand, it was as though this wand had no magic at all. At a shake of his head, Ollivander tried another.

It took a few tries before Ollivander got a distant look in his eyes, and began muttering to himself. Harry heard the words "I wonder," a few times before a very familiar wand was placed in front of him. He immediately knew that something was wrong however. The concealed Lordship ring began to vibrate ever so slightly. Using his magic to try and reach out towards the odd sensation, Harry was shocked when he heard a whisper. "Confundus charm," it seemed to say, followed by "Compulsion charm". It seemed that someone really wanted him to pick up and use the wand. What they didn't count on, was Harry having the knowledge that he did.

Channeling his magic in the same technique that he used while fighting off the Imperius Curse, Harry fought off the effects of the charms as he picked up the Holly wand. Holding his original wand once more, Harry was surprised to feel nothing for the wand. In that moment, Harry knew that the Holly wand would never be effective for him again. Even some of the previous wands that he had tried fit him better than the one from his original timeline. Harry had a moment of clarity; The Horcrux. A piece of Voldemort's soul that Dumbledore still believed was contained within Harry. Voldemort's wand contained a brother Phoenix feather to the wand in his hand. The tail feather in his original wand must have been resonating with the soul fragment. It was the only explanation that Harry could think of.

Ollivander seemed to hold his breath as Harry had looked at the wand, and released it when he believed that the charms were working correctly. When Harry shook his head, Ollivander was shocked. The boy needed to use that wand! The brother wands must meet once more! "Harry boy, are you quite sure? This wand has the most unique connection to you. See, the phoenix feather contained within this wand has a brother. Just one brother. It just so happens, that the brother wand was the one that gave you your scar," Ollivander tried to reason with the boy.

Harry simply shook his head. "Sorry Mister Ollivander, but I felt nothing for this wand. Some of the other wands made my magic tingle a little, but this one did nothing at all." At the defeated slump of Ollivander's shoulders, Harry knew that he had said the right thing. Once again, Ollivander disappeared into the rows of wands, coming back moments later with more wands.

Harry had tested two dozen wands before he found one that seemed to be a good enough fit. Ollivander seemed happy that he had finally matched this most difficult customers was a satisfactory wand. The wand itself was a curious one however. It was one of the few Acacia wood wands that Ollivander stocked, as it was a difficult wand wood to place. Even more curious was the core; A feather from a hippogriff named Buckbeak. Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper of Hogwarts sometimes allowed Garrick to gather wand ingredients from the denizens of the Forbidden Forest. It was during one such expedition that he acquired the feather from the majestic hippogriff. He had combined the feather with the wood as an experiment really. Acacia wood was so hard to place with a wizard not only because of how loyal it was, but because it required an exceptionally gifted person to be able to use it at all. Combined with the feather, it was a wand that would work for one person, and one person alone. The wand wasn't just unyielding; it had now formed an unbreakable bond to the young wizard in front of him.

Curious. "It's not always clear why the wand chooses the wizard. I suppose that it why it was foolish of me to think that the Holly and Phoenix feather wand would suite you. However, one thing is clear from this wand Mr Potter. We can expect big things from you." Ollivander accepted seven galleons for the wand, and watched the boy leave the store. Dumbledore wouldn't be happy that Harry had picked the wrong wand, but there was nothing that could be done about it. Ollivander had a reputation to uphold after all.

Back outside of the shop, Hermione watched Ron move from Odd's and Ends and go straight to Gambol and Japes, the joke shop of the time. While she wasn't a huge fan of pranks, she couldn't deny that Fred and George would run a superior joke shop in the future. She was curious however to see where the loyalty of the boys would lie. Would they support their mother in her attempts to essentially enslave her and Harry? Or would they be the trusted supporters that she knew them to be? Only time would tell really.

Harry showed the group his new wand, and told them how his old wand had a Confundus and Compulsion charm on it. He heard Hermione mutter 'Dumbledore' under her breathe, and couldn't help but agree. It was too coincidental to actually be coincidental. He told her how the Lordship ring began to hum at the presence of the charms. Hermione was thrilled, and couldn't wait to study the rings in more detail. Something told the two that the rings would save them from a lot of trouble in the future.

The group decided that the next stop would be to Madam Primpernelle's Beautifying Potions to get a hefty batch of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion. While she sometimes found it bothersome to use on an everyday basis, Hermione decided that she wanted to do everything that she could in this timeline to limit any possible teasing about her looks. It was why one of the first things she had asked Gabriel to do when he returned her to her eleven year old body was to fix her teeth. To some it might seem vain, but she and Harry had more important things to worry about than teasing and the like. Once she had bought enough potions to last the year, the group started walking towards Twilfit and Tattings to buy robes. However, a flash of ginger in the corner of her eye caught Hermione's attention.

Sitting in the window of Magical Menagerie was the ugliest squash faced kitten that had ever graced the earth. Hermione squealed in delight. It was a baby Crookshanks! When she had first gotten her familiar in third year, the owner of the pet store had told her how the half kneazle had been in the shop for years, as no one wanted him. The owner felt sorry for the feline, and so they kept him around as like a store pet. Hermione was delighted; she thought she was going to have to wait for two more years before she was reunited with her beloved pet. Without even saying a word to the group, she simply grabbed at the two closest arms and began dragging them into the store. Jean and Harry got quite the shock from that until the both saw the kitten and immediately understood. Crookshanks was to Hermione as Hedwig was to Harry- a constant companion in the original timeline that never abandoned them, and in a way that only a familiar could, made everything better. Without a second thought, Hermione bought Crookshanks and all of the pet related things that she needed for her handsome boy. Hermione was still cooing over the pet carrier as the group left the store.

As they were about to pass Gringotts though, Hermione's cooing was replaced with a thoughtful look, until she eventually stopped dead in her tracks. At Harry's inquisitive look, she sighed, looking disappointed at herself for forgetting one of the most critical things that they were supposed to do at the bank.

"The blood wards Harry. We completely forgot about the bloody blood wards."

* * *

A/N I just wanted to thank all those that reviewed, it really means a lot to me. In particular, thank you to all those that mentioned the blood wards. I won't lie, I had forgotten about them in the Bank, and realised as I was writing this chapter. Thank you all for pointing out continuity errors if you find them. Sometimes after reading your own material so much, it becomes hard to pick up on things. I make sure that I do go back and correct the error once I'm alerted to it, so your contribution does matter and makes for a smoother piece for future readers.

And as to those wondering about the Horcrux in the cup, the answer is simple. They can't deal with it yet because the cup isn't in the Lestrange Vault right now. We never actually find out when in the stories that the cup is placed in the vault, but in this story we are going to go by the assumption that Voldemort gives the cup to Bellatrix to guard after she breaks out of Azkaban because of how loyal she had proven herself to be. Also, does anyone else find it weird how Voldemort was entrusting pieces of his soul to other people i.e. the diary with Lucius? If it were me, I'd drop them in the most obscure places in the world. Like the bottom of the ocean, or a pyramid in Egypt.

Random thought of the week; Exactly how sensitive is werewolf hearing I wonder? Enough to break through a weak enough silencing charm? If so, I wonder what sort of things Remus has heard over the years that he really wishes he hadn't? Maybe we will find out...


	7. Chapter 7- Bloody Blood Wards

A/N This chapter is a little longer than usual, as our pair wraps up their time in Diagon Alley. I hope you all enjoy the trunks, it was fun to write about them.

As I stated in a previous A/N, there's a reason why they can't go after the Cup of Hufflepuff. The biggest being that it isn't at the Bank. Yet. The second is because our dynamic duo have no claim to the Cup. Imagine the legalities of explaining why the Bank took the Cup, despite the knowledge of it being a Horcrux. No, too many issues there. What our friends need is some sort of Lord of Hufflepuff House to come and claim the cup as a lost family heirloom. Now, I wonder who that could be... Spoilers sweetie.

A reviewer was concerned about the Occlemency of the pair, and I want to placate that. The Crowns offer the two a lot of mental protection from Legilimency attack, but they will be be trained. Something that will be much easier for Harry without the Horcrux and the events of this chapter. And remember, not everyone is a trained Legilimens,

Let's play a game. Count the number of cameo appearances in this chapter, and where they come from.

Hoping you are well.

Mafalda Hopkirk- I mean.

Saftimus.

* * *

Chapter 7- Bloody blood wards

It wasn't often that Hermione forgot things that needed to be done. One would think that considering all of the downright shocking things that she had learnt about Harry and herself, that she might forgive herself for forgetting some of the other details that needed to be sorted out at the bank.

Not Hermione. Oh, she wasn't cranky that she had forgotten something. She was cranky because the thing that she had forgotten was still majorly impacting Harry's health. With the blood wards still active, Harry was weakened and unable to fully tap into his magical core. She knew that even with the power drain he would be a powerful wizard, but without the block on his core… She shuddered at the thought of what her Soul Mate would be able to achieve.

Despite the glamours on Harry, the group was still worried that they might encounter the Weasley matriarch in the bank. While they knew there was no risk of her recognising Harry, they just simply didn't want to be anywhere near her. As they walked into the Bank however, they learnt that their fear was unnecessary. Instead of the usual banking hall, they were greeted with a plush waiting room with a reception counter in the middle.

The human receptionist smiled as they approached. "Welcome to the V.I.L lounge,"she said. "I know that this is your first time here as newly appointed Lord and Lady in waiting to your Houses, so I will answer any questions you might have. As a Very Important Lord or Lady, you needn't deal with the common riff raff in the Common Banking Hall. From the V.I.L lounge, you can directly access your account manager, and can avoid any delays in withdrawing from your vaults. The V.I.L lounge was designed to offer anonymity and comfort to important figures, allowing business to be conducted away from prying eyes. My name is Donna Noble, and if you need anything please do not hesitate to ask me. Now, would you like me to summon Manager Ragnok?"

At the nods from the young teenagers, Donna sent off a small dog patronus. Hermione truly loved the magic of a patronus; she suddenly felt a little happier, and she heard Crookshanks begin to purr in his carrier. She added the charm to a growing list of spells that she wanted to test and see if their younger bodies could still perform. Hopefully there was a way to test the spells before they returned to Hogwarts without setting off the Trace…

Ragnok arrived a few moments later and led them into an opulent office down a short corridor. The room was lit by stunning silver filigree torches. There was a dark mahogany desk at the end of the room, with a large marble fireplace behind it. In the centre of the room as a large ornately carved table. Harry could see the crest of every Ancient house that he knew of, and some that were unknown to him. Embellished with gold were the Houses that Ragnok managed; All of Harry's and Hermione's. Ragnok gestured that the group sit around the table on the plush padded chairs. He poured beverages for his guests; A fine elvish wine for the adults, and a top quality butterbeer for the pre teens. He looked over the group curiously. Surely there couldn't be even more business to be dealt with today? It had already been the biggest day in the history of the Bank.

At the goblins curious look, Harry began to explain their presence, being careful not to reveal the future. " Manager Ragnok, I was wondering if you might be able to help with a few more things today. See, with all that happened this morning, some of the things that we had planned on dealing with slipped our mind. When I arrived in the Alley this morning, I saw books being sold that claimed to tell my life's story, including details of the night that my parents died. And see, this concerns me. Before today, I'd never met anyone from the wizarding world. Which means that someone is printing lies with my name on it, and it could lead to some… misunderstandings in the future," Harry said, thinking about how Snape had treated him at school. The man seemed to be under the impression that Harry's every want was served to him by his relatives, that Harry lived the pampered life of a celebrity.

"Yes, I know the books that you speak of. In truth, I have been trying for years to have the books redacted, but as per usual I hit a block. Dumbledore. He is the one that authorised the books. As your supposed magical guardian, he was the only one that had the ability to allow the books to be published. In fact, I believe that he was the one that hired Rita Skeeter to write the books. As such, he makes a margin of the profits. Because of the control that Dumbledore has in the government, the only way for you to have the books withdrawn is to have him removed as your guardian. This can be done in a few ways; We find a way to free and clear the name of your true magical guardian, Lord Sirius Black. This could take time, but with the right trigger will be the cleanest way of separating Dumbledore from you. The second is difficult because it would reveal to Dumbledore all that you learnt here at the bank this morning; You become an emancipated minor. The earliest that you can do this is at the age of thirteen, and the only reason that you could is because you are the Heir to an Ancient and Most Noble House that does not currently have a Lord or Lady. The third is similar to the second, but more difficult due to your age; You marry the current Lord or Lady of an Ancient and Most Noble House. Which in your case leads back to the second point, as it would require Princess Hermione to be emancipated. As such, the only viable route to take is to clear the name of Lord Black. Rest assured, it will be my top priority to find any information that I can regarding the matter. I will send you an owl the moment I learn anything that will benefit your cause," Ragnok assured Harry.

Harry signed. "Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later. But it brings me to my second and last concern," Harry began, thinking carefully about how he worded his next statement. He decided it was best to make a cover story about how he heard about blood wards. "When I was getting my wand, I heard Ollivander muttering some things that sounded a bit concerning about Dumbledore. He was saying something about Dumbledore probably having me protected by something that he called blood wards?"

Gabriel had warned him that there would be quite the reaction from the goblins, but it still didn't prepare Harry for what happened next. Ragnok immediately pressed a rune on the table, and fired off a request in the most rapidly spoken Gobbledegook Harry had ever heard. Even with his new found language abilities, all Harry could make out was that Ragnok was urgently summoning Gringott and the curse breakers again. Within moments, Gringott arrived in a flash of Floo green fire from the fireplace, followed but the same group of curse breakers that had worked on removing the Horcrux from Harry.

Gringott looked furious, and began to explain the ramifications of the situation to the group. "Dumbledore had really done it now. There are few actions considered more serious of a crime than practicing Blood Magic without the appropriate approvals. In fact, the only Blood Magic that is even permitted at all is the heritage testing that we conducted this morning, as it's the only way that we can accurately determine the heritage linked to a witch or wizard. Of all Blood Magic, Blood wards are seen as the highest crime. Yes, blood wards offer an element of protection, however modern wards are far superior in this regard. All other elements of Blood wards are major drawbacks to the witch or wizard that they are linked to. While present within the wards, they are powered by the magical core of the linked occupant. And so, if the wards are attacked like the ones at Privet drive most likely were over the years, it is Prince Harry's magical core that bore the brunt of the attacks. When the wards are fully charged, excess power is siphoned off to the creator of the ward, or their next of kin. Once we examine the extent of the wards, we will one exactly how much magic Dumbledore has been stealing. When the linked magical core is not present within the Blood wards,all excess power is siphoned to the creator. Which means that when Prince Harry enters Hogwarts, Dumbledore would grow stronger."

"The issue with the Blood wards however, is that we can't prove that Dumbledore set them up. However, we can clearly and concisely document that Blood wards were linked to you. Once we finally pin Dumbledore with something, the allegations of Blood wards can be bought up since we can force Dumbledore to make a magical vow that all information he is providing in the trial are truthful. The only reason we can force the vow is because Prince Harry is the only remaining member of multiple Ancient and Most Noble Houses. For Dumbledore to be interfering as he is, he is knowingly committing Line theft. Even if he doesn't know about the other houses, he knows that Prince Harry is the last of House Potter, which is all we need. Thankfully though, we can break the Blood Wards, and any other blood magic that might be associated with the Prince's blood. The difficult part will be in keeping Dumbledore in the dark. Not impossible, but difficult and costly. However, due to the nature of Blood Magic, that cost will not be incurred by you my Prince. No, Dumbledore will pay for it. We will begin by taxing his vault slightly higher, and then fully seizing his vaults once we can convict him of a crime."

"With your permission my Prince, we will begin the process of breaking down the Blood Magic. However, the irony of Blood Magic, is that in order to break down wards associated with a person, is that the blood of that same person is required. A simple drop of blood is all that is required, and all of the curse breakers are under Unbreakable Vows to never use that blood for any other purpose. Are you in agreeance my Prince?"

At Harry's nod, Gringott ushered the team of curse breakers forward. One took out his wad and took Harry's hand. The curse breaker was hesitant, but at a nod from Harry, took a single drop of blood from Harry;s index finger, before healing the small wound. The other curse breakers were in the process of setting up a complex runic circle. Hermione was talking with Ragnok, asking questions about the types of runes that were in use. Ragnok explained that these were ancient goblin runes, a nearly forgotten language. He offered to have a copy made of an old guidebook and have it sent to Hermione so that she might study it. He was more than happy to do so, as it was refreshing to meet a young person so intrigued by the ancient ways of his race.

Once the runic circle was complete, the drop of blood was placed in the centre. As the blood made contact with the central rune, it began to thin out and spread outwards. Eventually the thin trails of blood traced every rune perfectly, before it began to glow and contract. As the blood contracted, as did the runes. It was a curious thing to watch; the runes began to solidify and turn golden, before curling inwards like pencil shavings. As the runes curled towards the central rune, the runic circle began to take the shape of a small bowl. As the bowl finished forming, the drop of blood lifted from the centre, hovering briefly before turning golden itself. What was left at the end of the ritual was a filigree bowl formed with interlocking golden runes, with a small golden droplet perpetually hovering in the centre. The head curse breaker, a goblin named Thorok, explained that any Blood Magic linked to Harry had now been transferred to the bowl. The bowl could be set to put Harry's location at any place he desired. It was determined that during summers, the bowl would show Harry at Privet Drive. During all other times during the year, it would show Harry at Hogwarts. The exact details of Harry's location in the castle could be controlled by Harry's Lordship ring. It was decided that the bowl would be placed in the Vault of Slytherin; Dumbledore would never suspect it in his wildest dreams. The costly aspect of the bowl was continuously charging it with magic so that Dumbledore wouldn't realise that he had lost a power source.

Harry felt his magical core relax, as though it had been tensed his entire life. For the first time in either timeline, Harry began to sense his entire core' The goblins examined him, and were shocked to realise that a full seventy-five percent of Harry's core had been used to power both the wards and Dumbledore. Harry realised with a start that even at a quarter of his full power, he had been able to fight full powered adult witches and wizards and win. Now… he wondered exactly what he would be able to do.

Harry thanked all of the curse breakers, Gringott and Ragnok for their services. He knew that if it wasn't for the Bank, he would not know his heritage, would still have a Horcrux in his skull, and that Dumbledore would still be able to weaken and track him. As a last matter of business, Harry asked a question that he was curious about." I was just wondering, is it possible for the Bank to track down family heirlooms within the bank? Say I was Lord Hufflepuff, and I wanted to reclaim the Cup of Hufflepuff if it was located within the Bank in another family's vault?"

Gringott smiled at the question, assuming that Harry and Hermione wished to reclaim artefacts belonging to the Hogwarts Founders that had been scattered through the wizarding world, either through theft or Dumbledore selling items. "Yes, the Bank can do this, but only if the Lord or Lady that the item belongs to requests it. Finding such artefacts within the Bank is easy using goblin magic. However, if an item was willingly given to a person by the original owner, it can not be reclaimed by the new Lord. Only lost or stolen artefacts can be reclaimed. In addition, items outside of the Bank can be tracked down as well. This is how we came to find the Lordship ring of House Peverell in Little Hangleton. Would you like the Bank to begin reclaiming items my Prince?"

Harry thought about it for a second, before realising that now was not the time to be reclaiming items. It would alert Dumbledore and other undesirables that there were extinct Ancient Houses that weren't quite extinct anymore. When Harry explained as much to Gringott, the goblin agreed, telling the young Prince to arrange a meeting when he was ready to do so.

With all matters at the Bank finally dealt with, the group decided that it would be best to continue on with their was decided that the first thing that they would buy would be new trunks in order to carry all of the other purchases that they would be making. Hermione had left her standard new trunk in a safe room at the Leaky Cauldron so that they wouldn't be weighed down by it. As such, the only things that the group was currently carrying was Crookshanks in his carrier, and the shrunken pet supplies. Despite a shop's ability to shrink purchases, they knew that the shopping would quickly pile up.

Thankfully, Trunks by Trunks was right across the alley from the Bank. Hermione had always loved the store. While in her previous timeline she had only had need for a standard trunk, she had always admired the intricate charm work that went into making the high end trunks. A trunk could be found for every occasion; Whether you needed a trunk for highly volatile potions ingredients, a trunk with anti theft charms, or a trunk with room for a literal library of books inside, Trunks by Trunks is where your perfect trunk could be found. It was even rumoured the Newt Scamander, the famous Magizoologist, had his famed Sanctuary in a trunk made at Trunks by Trunks.

Within the store were trunks of many designs, ranging from standard school trunks all the way to the most beautiful mother of pearl carved trunks that looked fit for royalty. However, all of the trunks on display were the same on the inside; plain, with no charms. Trunks by Trunks worked using a step system. The first step was to choose the shell trunk that you desired. Once a shell was chosen, charms could be added for an additional cost at any time, although it was slightly cheaper to place charms on a new trunk than an old trunk. Additional charms could also be placed on a previously charmed trunk, although this was more difficult to do, as the new charms would need to be woven into the existing ones. This is why it was considered preferable to have all needed charms placed on the trunk at the same time, as fresh charms were much easier to work and weave with. The third and final step in the process was to have the trunk embossed in some way, whether with the owner's initials, house crest, or a combination of both.

Harry and Hermione both agreed that a mother of pearl trunk would attract more attention than was necessary. Instead, they opted for a pair of trunks made of a dark walnut, with simple yet elegant carvings of a forest all over the surface, leaving a clearing at the top of the trunk. In this clearing the details of the owner would be carved. The duo thought it was a perfect choice, as the forest reflected the ones present on their Hogwarts Crowns. Walking up to the counter, they were greeted by Trunks, owner of the store. When they told him what trunks they wanted, the man seemed very excited.

"They are a very fine pair of trunks. In fact, I only ever made three of that particular design. I wanted to make something that was an ode to my days at Hogwarts, and I always loved the scene of the Forbidden forest that I could see from Ravenclaw Tower. I only made the trio though because of how long they took to carve. Had to do the whole lot by hand you see. Wood tends to absorb magic, which is why it makes for good wands. But in trunks, any residual magic that a trunk has been exposed to makes it harder to properly attach any charmwork. And I assume since you aren't buying standard school trunks that you might like such charms yes?" Trunks asked, placing a catalogue in front of the students at their nods.

Within the catalogue was a plethora of charms placed in a table form, with information on how much each charm cost, what charms could be layered with it, as well as charms that were not compatible. As an example, Extension charms were compatible with most charms, but did not work will with a Shrinking charm. It was possible, but very expensive to do. There was also multiple levels of charms; A small Extension charm which doubled the size of the storage space, ranging all the way to the multiple room Extension charms

Harry and Hermione decided that when it came to charms, they would go all out. Both trunks would be equipt with every charm possible. The multiple room Extension charm was the first to be cast, giving each trunk five rooms. A library for storing books, a general storage room for bits and pieces that didn't have a specific home, a potions storage room for potions and ingredients, a wardrobe for clothing and school robes, and an entryway that led to the other rooms. Next was an interesting charm called a Sorting charm. The Sorting charm put all items that were dropped into the entry room into their proper place and kept the space clean.

The rest of the charms were less obvious charms. Anti theft charms, ensuring that only those keyed to the trunks could open or move them. Anti breakage charms kept not only the trunk itself safe, but also its contents safe from breaking. Sticking charms kept all items in place while the trunk was in motion, to stop items shifting while in transit. A most important Featherlight charm was installed, otherwise the trunks would never move under the immense weight that Harry and Hermione would be storing within them. The last charm was a Fireproof charm. Knowing the pyrotechnic proclivity of some young witches and wizards, they thought it was better to be safer than sorry.

Once all of the charms were installed, the last step was ready to be taken. Trunks seemed to realise how the students in front of him suddenly became nervous, and decided to placate them. " Miss Granger, I remember meeting you this morning for your first trunk. I'm going to guess that between now and then that things have changed for you? If it would make you both feel better, I can take an oath to not reveal anything that I learn today? The safety and satisfaction of my customers is my number one priority. It's not the first time that I would have had to take an oath on such matters."

Harry and Hermione agreed, and once Trunks had taken his oath and sealed it with magic, Hermione began to explain their situation. "My friend here Mr Trunks is Harry Potter under glamours. See, we were worried about people trying to swarm him today, so we opted for anonymity. While we were at Gringotts, we learnt a fair bit about both of our heritages. Harry is the sole Heir to various Houses, and I am the Heiress to two houses. However, we don't want anyone at school to know about any of that yet. It could raise some questions that we aren't prepared to answer yet."

Trunks explained that they weren't the first, and would not be the last people that wanted to hide the crest of their house for one reason or another. As with the Lordship rings, the pair would be able to decide if they wanted to display their crest, and could even choose what crests to display. He was excited to be charming multiple crests; it was a rare thing to do. When Harry and Hermione showed him their Lordship rings however, he was blown away at the number of Lost Ancient Houses that the two had revived. In some cases, he would be the first in generations to be carving the crest anew. Before he began carving their respective crests on the chests however, he saw the pair engaged in a silent conversation with their eyes. He watched as Harry gestured towards Hermione's head and then back to the chest. Hermione seemed to agree after a moment, before turning back to Trunks.

"Mr Trunks," she began. "Since you are under oath already, we figure there is no harm in revealing an extra detail that we want carved into the chests. See, as well as claiming three of the four Founders Houses between the two of us, the goblins revealed that we were potentially Heirs to the Throne of Hogwarts, titles that have not been claimed since the days of the Founders themselves. The magics of the titles accepted us. As such, we are currently Prince and Princess, but will become King and Queen of Hogwarts once we turn seventeen, or are emancipated sooner. We would like to somehow incorporate this detail into the trunks, as it is something that we would like to proudly display when the time comes."

Trunks started nodding wildly, shocked at the turn of events. While most had forgotten about the Hogwarts royalty, his family had always made trunks, including trunks for the Founders of Hogwarts. He had studied the designs left behind by his ancestors as a child, and it was always his dream to be able to make a trunk for royalty. He looked at the design that he had carved into both trunks, and realised that Fate must have played a role in this day. Trunks knew exactly what to do to make these royal trunks. He began charming the crests as they appeared on the Lordship rings,before making minor adjustments. The Founder's houses were now rimmed with mother of pearl instead of the standard dark metal. The standard Hogwarts crest that was inlaid in every student's trunk was not so standard now. What was once a polished enamel was now a sheet of precious jewels making up the whole crest. Trunks demonstrated how the royals could turn the Hogwarts crest back to the standard enamel whenever they wished.

Harry and Hermione were over the moon at how the trunks had come out. It was exactly what they needed, and would serve them well for their entire lives. When Harry began to reach for gold to pay for the trunks, Trunks stopped him. He claimed that he could never charge the royals for the masterpiece's that they had helped him to create. Nevertheless, Harry insisted on paying the man for his impeccable work and discretion. In fact, Harry paid far more than the trunks were worth, as a token of gratitude. With their vaults a thousand galleons lighter than before, the group left the store, not noticing the joyous tears streaming down Trunks's face. He knew that a new era was on the horizon, and that he had just witnessed the beginning of it.

Outside, Jean suggested that the duo should get fitted for their new robes next. When Harry suggested going to Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions, Hermione shook her head, explaining that the best robes came from Twilfit and Tattings. Conveniently, the store was just across the alley from Trunks by Trunks. When they entered the robe store, they were greeted by a sweet blond witch who introduced herself as Rose. Rose explained the system that the store used. A witch or wizard would first be measured, and from there could chose any clothing they desired. The clothes were then charmed using their secret patented charms to adjust perfectly to the size of the wearer. The charms would adjust themselves for a period of a year before they wore off, at which point the garment would remain at its current size. The charms could not be readministered, as fresh fabric was required for the charms to properly stick. The base measurements were required so that the garments could be put on properly first, and it gave the material a base in which to work from. Rose also explained that an account could be set up within the store to keep record of measurements, so that Mail ordered robes from the store would be the proper base size. It was a particularly useful tool for students who could afford robes from the store, as it allowed them to buy clothes during the school year without leaving the school.

Once the duo was measured, they began picking out their clothes. Each decided that it was best to buy three sets of the school uniform in a fine material, but not too fine. It would look suspicious for a supposed muggleborn to be walking around every day in Acromantula silk robes. An item that Hermione would not compromise on though was the best pair of dragonhide boots and gloves that money could buy. She explained to Harry that the boots would need to be able to hold up to intense training and any dangers that came their way, as well as potentially sabotaged potions. The gloves were needed for the same reason; Hermione planned on experimenting in some more advanced potions over the next few years, and didn't want to burn herself on corrosive ingredients.

Many everyday clothing was bought, including curious finds such as muggle jeans and button down shirts, as well as a plethora of other muggle attire. Rose explained that many rich wizarding families had ties in muggle business, as there was a somewhat limited market for investment in the wizarding world. Hermione insisted on buying a complete wardrobe for the pair of them, Harry especially. She would not see him ever wearing Dudley's baggy hand me downs ever again.

When Rose enquired if the pair would need cloaks with a family crest embroidered on them, Hermione asked if she would be willing to take an oath of secrecy, just as Trunks had. Rose agreed quickly, saying it was actually a fairly standard procedure. Once the oaths were made, Harry and Hermione revealed to Rose the same information that they had given to Trunks. Much like before, Rose was thrilled to be supplying robes to the pair, and supplied them both with cloaks and robes where they could choose what crests to display. When the duo showed her the details that had been put on their trunks, she replicated them as much as possible on the clothing. The robes displaying the family crests were also charmed so that if someone else wore them, no crest would be displayed. This was a safety feature to stop people from implying that they were members of families that they weren't, a somewhat common occurrence around the rich and famous.

Harry and Hermione thanked Rose for her time. Between the two of them, they had spent just over a thousand galleons at the store. It was well worth the price though; they each had a wardrobe that was practical yet stylish, of a good quality but not pretentious. It played well into their plans to make as many ally's as possible. Dropping their new clothes into their trunks, the group moved on with the rest of the shopping.

Everything else on their school list was purchased to medium high quality, except for Potions related items, where everything was of the best quality. Harry decided it was best to get a second potions blade so that he wasn't using the Blade of Slytherin just yet. He would start using that when the figurative cat was out of the bag. Hermione practically bought an entire book store worth of books for the two of them, making Harry very grateful for the library room in the extended trunks. Hermione had even tried to find old editions of 'A History of Magic' by Bathilda Bagshot, as well as 'Hogwarts: A History' but had no luck in finding any past a certain date. The day that Dumbledore had meddled with history. There was also a curious book by Bathilda named 'Omens, Oracles and the Goat' that Hermione picked up. As she flicked through it, she realised that the book was about Dumbledore. Her curiosity piqued, she added it to the ever growing pile of books.

The last thing of the day that was purchased wasn't really a thing at all. Harry looked around almost feverishly as they entered the Owl Emporium, searching for his snowy white familiar. He was determined to keep her safe in this timeline, and would do anything to ensure that she lived a long and full life. He spotted his beloved friend at the back of the store, sitting on a perch. He was surprised when Hedwig flew down and sat on his shoulder, as though she was the one making a claim on him. Harry laughed at his girl, glad to have her back again. He purchased all of the things he needed to care for Hedwig, as well as some items that he didn't have in his original timeline. Owl armor. The owner of the store explained how the armor protected the owls from being intercepted, and also protected them from a wide range of spells. It was an adaptation of an armor type that the Aurors had tried to develop before they realised that the charms used only worked on a small scale. Too little for human use, but perfect for owls. It was a small piece of leather that protected the breast of the owl, with the charms extending outwards to cover the entire owl. The front of the vest could be embellished with a crest if the owner desired by using an Embossing charm.

By the time all the shopping was done, the sky had long turned orange and group decided it was best to go to the Leaky Cauldron for dinner, and spend some time deciding where they would go. There was a glorious smell of roast vegetables and meat as the entered the tavern, and they all salivated at the thought of a well earned hot meal. It had been a long day after all.

Over a dinner of roast pumpkin and potatoes, accompanied by sliced roast lamb and copious amounts of gravy, the group decided that they would test out the Lordship rings and go to Potter Manor. Hermione had bought a container of Floo powder just in case the manor was abandoned and they needed a way to get back to the Leaky Cauldron. The worst case scenario was that the group would return to the home of the Granger's and find a way to have the Manor repaired if need be.

The group moved to the Travel Room of the tavern, a room aptly named for its purpose. There were multiple stations set up; Two walls were set up with fireplaces for Floo travel, one wall for arriving and one for leaving. Likewise was an arriving and departing Apparition zone set up in the middle of the room. The Apparition zone could also be used for Portkeys, such as the Lordship rings. Entering the departing zone, Jean Daniel and Hermione all gripped Harry's shoulders. Jean and Daniel had travelled by portkey once before, and were confident that they could stick the landing. Harry however, was not confident. He always seemed to land face first with these sorts of things. Harry took a deep breathe before setting his ring to the House of Potter and finally calling out "Potter Manor!"

Harry was surprised when he finally opened his eyes that he was upright. He hadn't once felt like he was going to fall over. While checking that his companions were all upright, he was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Harry whipped around in surprise, only to be nearly bowled over by a small figure that was now tightly gripping his legs in an embrace. The figure looked up and Harry was greeted by large eyes and floppy ears.

The Potter house elves.


	8. Chapter 8- Manor Sweet Manor

A/N First off I'd just like to apologise for my absence the last few months. I'm an engineering student at University, and this semester has been pretty hectic. I didn't want to risk posting sub-par chapters that I wasn't happy with, But I'm back now, and moving to a fortnightly update schedule. The world I'm creating is becoming so in-depth, that I don't want to risk messing up details of my own lore just because I didn't spend enough time checking all the details.

With all that said, I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season so far. It's starting to get really warm here in Australia, so I'm spending more and more time writing or reading by the pool just to keep cool. I should have a wonderful surprise for you guys (And Harry!) up on Christmas Eve, so stay tuned!

No matter what you celebrate this festive season, remember these key rules. Stay safe, stay hydrated, and stay sane. Say more no to your inner Bellatrix, and more yes to the little Hermione on your shoulder.

* * *

Chapter 8- Manor Sweet Manor

Despite what some might think, Hermione liked to believe that she had grown since her S.P.E.W days. When she had first started her crusade for house elf rights, she admits that she had made a critical error. She thought that by freeing the elfs that they would be free to live their lives without servitude. What she didn't know was that a free elf was a shell.

When they had spent time in Grimmauld place during the Horcrux hunt, Hermione had formed a tentative friendship with Kreacher. That was, of course, when the elf stopped raving about her blood. There were many nights where she couldn't sleep for one reason or another. Whether it was the stress of the Horcrux hunt or feeling sick to the stomach, Kreacher was always there to indulge her in a late night conversation in the kitchen.

At first the conversations were awkward at best, and disastrous at worst. In those early nights, all Kreacher would talk about was the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, and how many disappointments to the family there were. But over time, the names began to change. Sirius and Andromeda were replaced with Bellatrix and Narcissa. When Hermione asked Kreacher what caused the change in his tune, she began to understand the relationship between wizards and house elves.

Generally, the attitudes and behaviours of a house elf reflect those of the witch or wizard that the elf is bound to. Before the influence of Harry and Sirius, Kreacher had been bound to serve Walburga Black. Kreacher hadn't been in the presence of Sirius long enough to begin exhibiting modified behaviours. This was mainly because Sirius would avoid Kreacher like the plague; the elf was a reminder of his hateful mother that Sirius couldn't bare to confront. Harry however, tried to see the elf as much as possible. Kreacher was always invited to sit with them during meal time, despite the objections from Ron. Harry would sit in front of the family tapestry for hours, asking Kreacher questions about the family and everyone in it. And with every encounter, the edges of Kreacher began to soften and fade. Once, Hermione even thought she heard the elf humming a tune while cooking a meal.

One night, after the Mundungus incident, Hermione asked Kreacher about Dobby. The older elf had chuckled, and told Hermione that Dobby would always be like a child because of his bonding before Harry freed him. Most elves were bound to adults, and for good reason. The magical core of a child simply wasn't stable enough to fully support an elf bond. It wasn't until a magical child received their first wand that their core begins to settle. This is because they now have an instrument that channels their core, rather than bouts of accidental magic.

The Malfoy's seemed to have forgotten that fact. A stubborn and spoiled four year old Draco had insisted that he should have his own personal house elf. And so he was presented with a young unnamed elf. Draco eventually named the elf Dobby, because the elf would dob on the young boy. Elves weren't just bonded to an individual you see; they were also bonded to the family. So while Dobby was the personal elf of Draco, his duty to the family and the Lord of the family would always supersede the commands of Draco. And so, as Dobby began to take on the unstable childishness of his personal bond to Draco, his family bond ensured that his antics would never harm the family.

What shocked Hermione most though was the fate of most free house elves. Without a family to stabilise the elves own magical core, the elf would simply begin to wither away under the chaos of their own magic. There was a time frame in which the elf could be bonded to a new family, but it was short, a matter of days. The only reason that Dobby was able to survive as a free elf was because his magical core had grown so used to a chaotic bond that he was able to control it. To nearly every other elf, being freed was worse than death. It was torture, a long and painful end.

Hermione had nearly been ill when Kreacher had told her about that. All the elves at Hogwarts that she had knitted hats for! Kreacher chuckled when Hermione began wailing about all of the elves that she had unknowingly murdered. Kreacher explained that the elves of Hogwarts were bound by a different kind of magic. The elves were bound to the magic instilled in the castle itself. The castle in a sense fed off the ambient magic in the air, from the location of the land and the magic performed by anyone present on the grounds. So long as Mother Magic was present at Hogwarts, the elves would never be accidentally freed. The only person that was allowed to dismiss a Hogwarts Elf was the Highest ranking official of the school- which in most cases was the Headmaster. During the Age of the Founders however, any of the Kings and Queens could dismiss an elf, so long as they had the support of the other Rulers.

And so, rather than being angry at the presence of bound House elves at Potter Manor, Hermione smiled at the sight in front of her. It was clear from the affectionate hugs that Harry was being bestowed with by the small army of a dozen elves that these elves had been loved. All of the elves had tears in their eyes- they had missed their young master. Hermione was glad that the elves had been kept at the Manor; more often than not, Family Magic was woven into the very land. The elves must have used this latent Family Magic to support their Potter Family Bond.

Hermione turned and checked on the state of her parents. While they seemed shocked by the number of elves, they did not appear to be phased by the creatures. Hermione had explained to her parents the role that House elves played in the magical world. She would have to take the time to update them on the information that she had learned from Kreacher; She wouldn't want them to think that the Potter's kept slaves.

Harry was beside himself. He could feel the presence of a new bond forming in his core. While he could sense twelve strands, they all appeared to be intertwined, like a hive mind. But at the same time, every strand was unique. He could feel the faint rolls of emotions rolling off each elf. He realised with a start that this wasn't a new bond at all. This was a bond from when he was an infant that was reconnecting. And while reconnecting, it was strengthening and evolving to accommodate his status as the Head of the family.

The elves attached to him finally detached, and moving as one formed a line in front of the group. With perfect synchronization, the line of elves bowed. When they rose back to full height, the eldest elf stepped forward. Harry had noticed that all of the elves were dressed impeccably. Each elf wore something slightly different. Harry could see an elf that was clearly a gardener; it wore sturdy yet clean black overalls and a black outdoor coat with vibrant red detailing. Another wore a traditional butler ensemble, again with red detailing over his suit and a perfect neat red bowtie. A common theme across all of the uniforms was the use of black and white for the main body of the outfit, with the same vibrant red used for trimmings and accessories. It created a wonderful canvas for the crest of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter present on the right side of every elf- right above where the heart of a House elf lay. The crest of Potter was an elegant piece- A background of black with two mighty red hippogriffs facing outwards from the center. In a simple text beneath them was the words of House Potter; Longo vivas Tempore et bene sit. Harry heard Dan chuckle at the words. When Harry raised a brow in question, Dan told him that the words translated to "Live long and prosper". Harry himself chuckled, but found the words fitting. He wondered if one of the creators of Star Trek had been friends of the Potters. But that was a question for another day.

When the House elves rose back to full height, the eldest elf stepped forward. "Master Harry sir, it is wonderful to see you again. I am Orthello, the Head of the Potter elves. It is with great pleasure that we welcome you and your bondmate home," The elf said, holding himself tall and proud with a smile on his face. It was obvious that he was trying to contain his jubious excitement, a battle that his face was losing.

At this point, Harry wasn't surprised that the Potter elves could sense the Soul Bond between Hermione and himself. If the Goblins could sense it, then the elves that he was bound to would be able to see it as well. "Thank you Orthello for welcoming us home. I'm sorry that we couldn't have come sooner. Until this morning, I didn't even know that I was Lord Potter, much less that any of my properties exist, " Harry said with a tear in his eye, emotional from the love he could feel emanating through the Elf Bonds.

Orthello nodded in understanding. "Yes, it is as we feared then. We could sense through the bond that you had been taken to the terrible sister of Mistress Lily, but we could do nothing to stop it. Dumbledore had somehow convinced Master James to activate the War Wards, stopping anyone but the Lord of the Manor and his companions from leaving or entering the grounds, which left us trapped here. The War Wards finally broke when you returned Master Harry. If the War Wards had not been active, we would have taken you from that terrible place. We could feel your pain and sorrow through the bond, even as it weakened. Vaermina, your mother's personal charms assistant is blessed with the gift of sight. She saw your plight in the future, and watched as you were returned to this time by the Fates. She sees the Archangel that watches over you this very moment. From the corner of the Floo fireplace. " Orthello calmly stated, pointing at the marble fireplace behind the group.

The group whipped around, and marveled as Gabriel seemed to simply appear out of thin air. It was a sight that none of them would ever get used to. It was somehow different to removing an invisibility charm. Perhaps it was the lack of magic in the air as the angel suddenly appeared. Perhaps it was his presence in the room. Or perhaps it was the cheeky grin on his face as his hiding place was uncovered. The mystery that was Gabriel might never be fully understood.

Gabriel swaggered towards the group, his arms outstretched in greeting. "Hey kids. Just wanted to make sure that you found your way home properly. And, nice work Harry, you actually landed properly. You must feel a hell of a lot better without that Horcrux messing with your body. Now, don't see it as stalking, but sometimes I'll just be- ok well it is stalking, but it's just easier if people can't see me checking up on you. So, if you can feel someone watching you every once in awhile, seven out of ten times it will be me. You can guess what people make up the other three times. Anyway, I thought you might like it if I removed that glamour on you. Just give me a call anytime you need it again. Then again, it is tempting to leave you looking like a miniature me…." the angel muttered as he snapped his fingers, returning Harry to his regular eleven year old appearance.

Harry stretched his hands out in front of him, pleased to see that he had returned to his usual eleven year old paleness. He couldn't wait to spend some quality time outside repairing the damage that years with a lack of sunlight had caused. He realised that he was now squinting through the glasses that had reappeared on his head. His eyes no longer had the pressure of the Horcrux pressing down on them, extending him the gift of sight. Something that he had only ever experienced in Valhalla. "Thanks for that Gabe. As nice as it was to walk around Diagon Alley without anyone recognising me, it feels good to be back in my own skin. I assume you can't stick around for long?"

The angel shook his head with a sad little smile on his face, "Afraid not kiddo. I'll visit physically when I can, even if you don't know it. It's best if too many people don't see me, helps to keep the Fabric intact. The Fates reckon that we have found a few loopholes though that we can use if we really need to. The Fabric seems to be under the least amount of stress from energies such as my own at particular times. It's inconvenient, but one of those is at three in the morning. More commonly known as the Devil's hour. Which is a load of shit, since what actually happens is the land's natural leylines begin to finish processing the natural energy that they absorb from sunlight, and begin preparing for the next day. Like magical photosynthesis. During this time there is less magical pressure in the area, and the tension on the Fabric lessens. It's going to be the safest time for any sort of visit longer than a couple of minutes. The other time is during the week before and after Halloween, which is good for us because of all the shitty situations that seem to happen to you around then. The veil between Purgatory and this world are at the thinnest during then, so the Tapestry is more concerned with keeping the Leviathan and Behemoth away than paying attention to the meddlings of an archangel. I'll leave you notes here and there to help you out, but there's not much more for me to do right now. Enjoy your time before school kiddo, and hey. You look great without those crappy glasses. Maybe you should look at getting a new haircut to go with your new look ey?" The angel winked, before disappearing with a flap of wings.

The House elves squeaked with joy. Vaermina spoke up, with a mixture of pride and awe in her voice, " We knew that Master Harry would be a great wizard one day, but we never imagined that you would be an Instrument of the Fates. It explains your Soul Bond to the young Mistress Hermione."

Hermione squeaked herself, but in shock instead of joy. How had the elf known her name? It was the first time they had met after all. " Vaermina, I don't mean to be rude, but how could you have possibly known my name? It isn't a common name, so it isn't like you guessed it by seeing my school trunks." Hermione asked, in awe at the ancient knowledge that she could see in the eyes of the Seer.

The elf smiled kindly at Hermione, already liking the girl. "Such a curious mind you have young Mistress. It is rather simple you see. We are bound to Master Harry through the Potter Family Bond. Through the Soul Bond that you share with Master Harry, you are recognised as being a member of the Potter House. And so, we are bound to you in a similar, yet less involved Potter Family bond. Through this bond we instinctively know things about you, such as your favourite foods, what type of parchment you prefer, and the names of the people or familiars bond to you, such as your lovely parents. We know to place you in a bedroom as close to the library as possible, yet still be on the east side of the Manor so that you can enjoy a sunrise with a cup of rose and vanilla tea. And through this bond we see that your mind is nearly eight years older than your body. With the knowledge of how your's and Master Harry's lives are entwined with the Fates, and it is reasonable to assume that you are here to change the terrible future that I saw in the crystals."

Harry and Hermione both blinked in shock at how calm the House elves seemed to be about the whole situation. Anyone else would have a pounding headache at the thought of the Fates and archangels, yet the elves simply accepted it as being so. Perhaps it had something to do with the Potter Family Bond, and how Harry and Hermione had already accepted the events that were unfolding. For the most part.

Orthello seemed to decided that enough time had been spent in the Floo room. With all that had happened, the group hadn't spent much time examining their surroundings. The room that they were in was opulent, yet not over the top. It seemed to balance the fine line of being elegant without being garish rather perfectly. If the golden sun rays floating into the room were any indication, the room was on the west side of the Manor, with large crystal windows taking up nearly the entire wall, with glass doors matching the windows leading out to a lush garden. The room had two large Floo places on the southern and northern walls. The fireplaces were massive, allowing at least ten people to stand in them with shoulder room to spare. The mantles were simple slabs of opulent marble, with the most curious veins of shining copper running through the stone. Above each fireplace was a carved figure of a hippogriff, so perfectly carved that the beasts appeared to be alive. In the center of the room was a set of low leather couches, obviously designed for comfort while awaiting guests. On the east wall of the room was a large archway leading into what appeared to be the entry hall of the Manor.

As Othello lead the group into the entryway, he explained that the Manor was too large to properly explore and explain in one day. As he did so, he waved his hand, producing four familiar looking maps. As he handed them out, he explained that Remus had felt the need to create a Marauders style map for the Manor after he got lost in the solarium while drunk. Similar to the Marauders map, the Manor map showed your location in the Manor, yet for privacy reasons did not show the location of anyone else if they didn't wish to be found. Lily found this feature particularly useful while she was pregnant with Harry, as James could get a little overbearing in his excitement at times. The Manor Map also gave directions to the room that you wanted to get to, to remove any confusion about how to get around. It would be a useful tool to the group, as the Manor was quite extensive. Four stories high, the Manor had more rooms than one family could ever possibly need. Orthello explained that in the past multiple branches of the House of Potter would reside in the Manor. This was before the Potter Massacres however. Since then, there simply hadn't been enough members of the family left to fill the empty halls.

And the halls were very large indeed. The entry hall reminded Harry of a slightly smaller version of the Hogwarts entry hall. The decor and style however were quite different. Where Hogwarts was stone, Potter Manor was a soft beige silk. There seemed to be a lightness to the room, a feature that was aided by the numerous windows on the southern wall. The entry hall was four stories high, with a large winding staircase and various landings leading to every floor. Again the inspiration from the stairs of Hogwarts was clear. As Harry looked at his map, he realised why Hermione had been so quiet. She was looking at the only other room on the map the encompassed every floor of the manor. The Library.

It was starting to get late in the afternoon, and so Orthello decided to lead the group to their sleeping quarters and the Library, else Hermione would never get to sleep. Harry could see that Hermione was nearly skipping with joy. Luckily for Hermione, the Library was located on the Northeasterly corner of the Manor, which meant that it got plenty of morning sun. Orthello lead the group to the second level, and began walking them through the halls, explaining the layout of the Manor as they went. There was a large room on every corner of the Manor, with the walls being perfectly perpendicular to the directions of the compass. These large rooms were connected by hallways, with smaller rooms running parallel to the halls. In the center of the Manor was a large courtyard, allowing the hallways of every floor of the Manor to flood with light from the numerous windows.

The ground floor of the Manor consisted of the Floo room in the south-west corner; A large sitting and entertainment room on the south-east corner; the first floor of the library in the north-east corner and finally a formal dining room that could be converted into a ballroom with the use of extension charms in the north-west corner. There were various smaller rooms on the ground floor as well, such as a kitchen near the dining room, and the notorious solarium on the other side of the Manor.

The other three floors of the Manor were nearly identical, as each floor was generally inhabited by a single family branch. While the Head Family generally lived on the top floor, they now resided on the second floor. The upper two floors, with the exception of the library, had been put under a stasis charm since they were not in use. The large rooms on each floor were similar to that of the rooms on the ground floor. A casual family room was located on the south-east corner, and a combined kitchen and casual dining area was on the south-west corner. The exception was the master bedroom on the north-west corner. Harry had already decided that he wasn't ready to use his parent's room. He wanted to take the time and properly sort through their things, and wait until he could officially claim his Lordship titles before he moved into the room. Besides, it wasn't something he would use often until he finished school.

Sensing this, Orthello led the group to the three bedrooms on the east side of the floor, along a corridor that joined the library to the family room. Naturally, Hermione was placed in the room closest to the library, else they would never hear the end of it. As Hermione walked into the room, she was stunned at how modern it was. Every bedroom in the house had an ensuite, and this one was no exception. What made the ensuite so unique however was that instead of walls, there was clear glass. Orthello demonstrated that the glass could be turned opaque with a touch of magic if so desired. Hermione decided that she quite liked the openness of the bathroom, allowing the room to be filled with natural light during the day and bathe in the moonlight by night. The bathing area was nestled in the left-hand corner of the room. Within was a large shower with a rainwater style shower head, and a bath that was incredibly smooth on the inside, yet looked like a block of rough marble from the outside. Hermione loved it, and knew she would spend many nights reading a water-protected book in it.

On what was left of the lefthand wall was a large wooden canopy bed. Hermione felt like you could comfortably fit four people in the bed, and so it was massive to her eleven year old body. While the bed was charming, it was the view out the east wall that really caught her attention.

The land that Potter Manor was situated on was magical in its own rights. And not because of the strong leylines that resided under the ground, no. What truly made this land special was the almost overwhelming presence of mother nature. It was obvious that the castle had been built around the land, rather than molding the land to suit the building. Any outer building seemed to just be a part of the landscape, rather than an obvious intrusion of it.

The view that Hermione and the others were treated to from their rooms was a large lake surrounded by calm green woods. In the center of the lake was a small island, in which a single pergola was located. It looked like the perfect place to sit back and just take in the wonders of the natural world. The lake had two streams, one leading into the lake and the other leaving, so you would be able to hear the sounds of a babbling brook as well. Hermione thought it was something straight out of a fairy tale.

Jean seemed to think so as well. "Oh Hermione, that little pergola is going to be the perfect place for your morning meditations! You'll be able to center your core much easier there as well, without all the noise and distractions of suburbia."

Hermione nodded, excited to start centering her core. It was a technique that Madam Pomfrey taught to all first years when they came to get their magical innoculations. Through meditation, a young witch or wizard could connect with their core, allowing easier access to their well of energy and allowing the flow of magic to be more controlled. While the method of mediation was different for everyone, the end result was always similar. Hermione found that she best connected to her core in the morning while performing yoga. The actions allowed her to fully calm her mind and be able to just feel the magic, rather than think about it. Depending on how often she was using more heavy duty spells, she would meditate more than often once or twice a week. During the holidays when she wasn't allowed to use magic, she did the mediations more frequently to help calm her itching core.

Harry was confused. What did the ladies mean by centering the core and meditations? He had never been taught anything about that! When he voiced this to Hermione, he could see her jaw drop as she looked at him with concern.

"Harry, what do you mean that you have never heard about centering your core with meditations? We were all taught about it in the first week of Hogwarts when we got our shots, and Madam Pomfrey asked about them every year during our check-ups. It's one of the first magical techniques we were ever taught, and one of our most used!" Hermione stated, stopping herself before she went into full rant mode.

Now Harry was even more confused. "Hermione, I've never had check-ups with Madam Pomfrey. The only times I've ever seen her was when I had a Quidditch injury, or when I've been attacked by Voldemort. I thought most students never really had to ever see her?"

As Harry continued, Hermione became more and more concerned. It meant that for years that Harry was vulnerable to outbursts of uncontrolled magic, and to a whole plethora of magical diseases. It also meant that Madam Pomfrey never saw the results of the abuse that Harry received from is relatives. And it was with that thought that everything fell into place in her mind. "Of course", she burst out. "Dumbledore must have been Confunding Madam Pomfrey. If she had ever seen you at the beginning of the school year, she would have realised that you were being abused, which would have bought into question your guardians from the Aurors, which would have opened a whole can of worms that Dumbledore realised he couldn't let be open. So he must have been falsifying your records as well just in case Madam Pomfrey decided to check them."

The group decided that once Harry and Hermione got to Hogwarts, they would make a point of making sure that Harry got a proper check-up. And if that couldn't occur at the school, they would make sure to hire a private mediwitch. All while documenting the process to gather evidence against Dumbledore. In the meantime though, Hermione would teach Harry how to center his core.

Hermione set down her purchases, deciding to return it to its original size and sort it out all later. Crookshanks however was gathered up into her arms, where the tiny squash faced kitten began to loudly pur. She would forever be grateful that she could be reunited with her companion so soon. There would have been a cat sized hole in her soul otherwise for a couple of years until she found him again. She would also have to talk to the elves about gathering her belongings from her parents house, since they had thought that Harry would be living with them for the rest of the summer, not the other way around. But seeing the looks on her parents face as they experienced the true grandeur of the wizarding world, she didn't think they would have many issues staying at Potter Manor.

Orthello, sensing that the Soul Bond was something that Harry and Hermione would take some time to get used to, decided to place Jean and Dan in the middle bedroom. The elf knew that at this age there was no sexual nature to the bond, so that wasn't the reason for separating the young mates. Orthello could tell from his bond with Harry that the boy would need some space, but would eventually come to treat the bond as second nature.

As with Hermione, Jean and Dan adored their room. It was the same layout as Hermione's room, but with a slightly different look. The wardrobe was bigger, with two dressers instead of one. The colour scheme was also similar to what the pair had used in their house; it was obvious that the elves where styling each room for the occupants. Just as Jean thought about adding in a personal bookcase, Orthello snapped his fingers and one appeared just where she had been thinking of putting one. Dan smiled; he could get used to the conveniences of magic.

Harry's room was the one closest to the family room. Once again, it had the same layout as the other rooms, but there was a distinct difference in the styling of the room. Orthello explained that this was the room that Sirius lived in after his own family disowned him. Harry noted the differences between this room and Sirius's room at Grimmauld place. Where there were muggle posters designed to irritate his parents were intricate animated paintings. Orthello explained that young Sirius had designed his old room to simply irritate his family and rub their faces in his House placing. At Potter Manor, the true stylings of Sirius appeared. All of the paintings had been painted by Sirius himself, and were reflections of the world he wanted to live in. The most prominent painting in the room was the massive painting on the wall behind the bed. While it was long, it wasn't particularly tall, giving a panoramic feel to the piece. It was a simple forest, possibly the one outside the Manor. In the painting the occasional movement could be seen; woodland creatures flitting in and out of bushes and trees, the occasional breeze through the leaves. The most striking feature though was the clearing that could just be seen through the trees. There were three creatures engaged in a play fight. Harry smiled at the creatures, for there was Moony, Prongs and Padfoot immortalised in oil paint. The painting was currently set in the early evening, with a waxing moon in the sky. Orthello explained that Sirius has painted the image just after he and James had become animagus, a feat that would take Peter an additional year to complete. Sirius had charmed the painting to reflect both the current lunar phase and the time of day. When Harry looked closer, he realised that Moony was lethargic, reflecting the lack of energy that Remus would have after a transformation. Orthello said that the trio would probably spend most of the day sleeping, but it was always hard to know. The painting truly had a mind of its own, and was never exactly the same.

Harry loved the room, and decided that he wouldn't change a thing. Orthello smiled when he said so; the elf was relieved that he had made the right call. Harry could spend hours looking at the paintings, but he could see Hermione bouncing on the balls of her feet in the corner of his eye. For now, he placed his belongings down. He let Hedwig out of her cage and watched as she settled in nicely to the roost that had been set up near the window. The intelligent creature hooted in contentment, before diving out the window to hunt. Harry had no doubt that she would be fine; it appeared that their bond transcended the ages.

There was a large smile on the face of a certain bushy haired witch as they approached the grand doors of the library. While she had no idea what to expect, she knew it would be wonderful anyway if the rest of the house was any indication. What she wasn't prepared for though was the sheer magnitude of the books in the library. As Orthello opened the door, the breath was knocked out of her.

The library was a four story masterpiece. Lining the south and west walls were bookcases that reached floor to ceiling, only leaving room for the doorways in the corner of the walls. In the very center of the room was a spiraling staircase connecting the four levels. Yet the design was genius; each of the floors was essentially a large balcony that went around the edge of the entire room. The staircase was a freestanding structure in the middle, connected to each floor by a walkway. This allowed someone to be able to see from the top story of the library all the way to the bottom, a feature that was useful when it came to summoning books from all over the room. The entire south and west balcony of each floor was made of a maze of bookcases, whereas the northern and eastern balconies were occupied by a variety of sitting areas and work desks. As in the bedrooms, there was entire walls of glass, this time on the northern wall as well as the eastern wall. It gave the room a sense of lightness, yet did not detract from the cosy atmosphere that could be felt from the occasional cosy chair scattered among the bookshelves.

The shelves themselves were a piece of art. It was obvious that these were not random pieces of furniture accumulated over many years, but rather all built at the same time in harmony. Carved into the outfacing wood was intricate scenes that were all parts of a whole picture. Every row of shelves told a different story, and would take months to explore every detail.

The books themselves made Hermione lightheaded with joy. Everything was organised by category, and then by sub categories. Hermione could see from the door of the second floor a history section, where she spotted every edition of Hogwarts; A History that had ever been published, including new editions. Orthello explained that certain books were automatically purchased by the Potter estate as soon as they came off the printing machine, and kept in pristine condition by the network of charms on the library. As such, Potter Manor had the most extensive range of magical literature in the world. There was also a large section of Muggle literature present on the fourth floor, an addition that was made by one of the early Potter's. It wasn't as extensive however, as most of the Muggle literature books were directly donated to the British Library, of which the Potters were part owners when Harry's grandfather helped to establish it. Hermione knew that she and Harry would be doing a lot of research in this room, and she genuinely looked forward to it.

Once Hermione had her fill of the Library, Orthello led the group to the family room. The elf could sense that the group was exhausted, despite only having explored a small section of the Manor. There was plenty of time to do so before the school year started again, so there was no rush. Master Harry would be better suited to receiving his surprise in the morning, the elf decided. It just wouldn't be right to keep the boy up all night from the excitement. Clearing his throat, Orthello announced that he would serve dinner in the family room, as Harry's parents before him had preferred the relaxed atmosphere of the room after a long day. The group was very happy to do so, as the room was incredibly inviting to their sore and tired bodies.

The Family room was very much inspired by the comfort of the Gryffindor common room, but without the gaudy colour scheme. Instead, the room was in the soft colours of the forest, with large cushy couches and low carved wooden coffee tables. What was most surprising about the room was the obvious presence of electricity. When Hermione began to ooh and ahh at the runes that she found carved around the room, Orthello explained that Lily had grown sick of James and Sirius pestering her every weekend to go and visit her parents so that they could use her parents new Atari 2600, the latest and greatest in home gaming entertainment. And so, she working with the Marauders to create a rune system that allowed modern Muggle electronics to work within the Family room. The elves had been instructed to update the selection of devices available every year, and so there was currently an elf, ironically named Sparky by a young James, setting up a brand new tv and freshly released Nintendo Super NES. While Harry wasn't particularly interested in video games because of his inability to play them during his childhood, he could see the excitement in Dan and Jean's eyes. Hermione laughed and explained that her parents were very competitive, and would frequently be found trying to beat each other in one game or another.

The stars were beginning to appear in the sky by the time the group settled into a cluster of couches. Dan and Jean settled down on one, while Harry and Hermione took the one opposite them. Without even blinking, Hermione spread out on the couch and settled her head on Harry's lap, a position the two frequently found themselves in during the Horcrux hunt when Ron wasn't around. Purely on old instincts, Harry began to massage Hermione's scalp and temples, something he knew helped her relax. Harry looked up to see Dan and Jean in a similar position, with Jean smiling at Harry.

"We are going to have to work on the familiarity aren't we? To the outside world you will be a couple of eleven year old children that shouldn't know each other. But to us, we can clearly see how close and worldly you both are, without even being able to see your soul bond. It's the first day that your physical bodies have ever met, yet your natural reaction is that of souls that have known each other for years, with a closeness and ease that some people can only dream of. Not a word was spoken between you, yet you instinctively end up in one of Hermione's favourite relaxation positions," Jean explained, beaming at the young couple. She had known about the Soul Bond for just over a day, yet her heart ached at the thought of it not existing. Harry had always been Hermione's dearest friend, and clearly knew what made her happy.

Harry smiled down at the witch in his lap, knowing that he would do anything to make sure that they couldn't be torn apart, "It will be difficult, but we are used to having to hide things from people. To our peers we might just come across as awkward friends, and to most of our teachers as perhaps a childish crush. The only person we truly have to worry about is Dumbledore. And I'm sure the Crowns of Hogwarts will help in keeping that old codger at bay."

Hermione hummed in agreement. As she did so, Orthello popped back into the room to announce that dinner was about to be served. With a snap of his fingers, a wonderful hot meal appeared on the low coffee table. It was obvious that the elves knew how to cook and what everyone liked by the fair in front of them. With a laugh, the group realised that they all quite enjoyed Indian inspired food. In the middle of the table was a generous pile of fragrant saffron rice, with a heaped plate of garlic naan bread on the plate next to it. While Harry had only had Indian food a few times in his life, he knew for a fact that garlic naan was one of his favourite bread dishes ever. He practically salivated as he smelt the sweet and pungent smell of roasted garlic. There was three dishes of curry; a glistening butter chicken, a wonderfully herbaceous lamb saagwala, and a spicy goat vindaloo. There was an assortment of condiments as well, from dips to chutneys. Everyone began to load up their individual plates and tucked in. Harry very quickly called Orthello to tell him to thank the elves that had prepared the meal; It was truly one of the best meals he had ever had.

Once all of the curry had been consumed, the group began to fall into a food coma. They lounged around for while as Jean and Dan told stories of the time they visited India for a volunteer dentistry program, where the pair fell in love with the art on Indian cuisine. While Harry laughed at a tale of Dan falling face first into a pile of elephant dung, he noticed that Hermione had gone unusually quiet. Peering down at the bush of hair on his lap, he realised that the witch had dozed off. Without thinking, he gently lifted her head off of his lap before attempting to pick her up and take her to her bed. It was something that he frequently had to do during the hunt, as Hermione would stay up and keep watch with Harry, too haunted by memories of Nagini to fall asleep on her own. It was then that Harry realised how weak his eleven year body was from years of malnutrition. At this time, Orthello had popped into the room to clear away the leftovers of the meal. Seeing his young Masters frustration, Orthello told the young wizard that he should simply use his wand. At Harry's confused gaze, Orthello explained that all estates owned by Ancient Houses had warding that allowed underages witches and wizards to perform magic. When he heard this, Harry suddenly recalled how some of his peers seemed so accustomed to spell casting during their early lessons. It must have been because they had six weeks to actually practice magic before school had even started.

Harry decided that it would be best to only use his Acacia wand from Ollivanders while at school, just incase Dumbledore ever decided to check it. Instead, Harry drew his Slytherin wand, eager to see how it behaved. Before he risked using it on his mate, he pointed the wand at a vase in the corner. Deciding to try his luck at wordless spellcasting, Harry tried a simple Wingardium Leviosa on the unassuming pottery. Putting in the amount of power that he thought he would require, Harry was shocked to see the vase rocket into the air, nearly smashing against the ceiling before Harry stopped it with his Seeker reflexes. That could have been Hermione! Sighing in relief that he had decided test with a vase first, Harry slowly lowered the object onto its shelf before lowering his power and trying again. Eventually, Harry found that he needed to only use a tenth of the power that he would have originally had to put into the spell to gently lift the vase. It was clear to him now exactly how much Dumbledore's magic block had been affecting him. Jean and Dan gave a quiet applause at the display of magic- it was something that they never really got to experience outside of their handful of visits to Diagon Alley, and so even a simple first year spell was exhilarating for them to observe.

Pleased with the results, Harry pushed his magic to gently lift Hermione into the air, carrying her down the hallway to her room. Opening the door, he could see that a small bundle of fur had curled up on the end of her bed. Crookshanks unfurled himself as Harry approached the bed with Hermione. As Harry used his left hand and a push of magic to pull Hermione's sheets down, the kitten approached the edge of the bed and began to purr. Harry gently lowered Hermione onto the bed, before removing her shoes and socks. It would be too forward of him to undress her any further, so he simply transfigured her clothing into a pair of pajamas that he had seen her wear once before, before pulling the sheets back over her. Crookshanks moved up to his mistress, curling into her side. Harry gave the kitten a gentle pat, before leaning over and kissing Hermione's forehead as he had done for months during the hunt. Hermione smiled in her sleep, before shifting into a more natural sleeping position. Harry quietly excited the room, and bid Hermione's parents good night.

As Harry prepared for sleep, he was dead on his feet. It had been such an overwhelming day, and it would take a few days at least to properly sort and digest all of the information that he had learned. As Harry slipped into his first pair of brand new sleeping pants, he thought of how incredibly grateful he was at the opportunity to start fresh. Harry started to fall asleep the moment his head hit the incredibly comfortable pillow, looking forward to what was to come.

A new life.

A better life.

A better world.


	9. Chapter 9- Sorry but- I'm a what?

A/N. Twas the night before Christmas... I forget the rest. All I know is that I'm awake delivering you all a Christmas present. Am I an elf? Who knows. But what I do know is this. I have a lot of reader's from a lot of different countries, and we all celebrate different things during the holiday season. I'm an atheist, so for me the holiday is about celebrating family and coming together to celebrate the year. We like to keep it fairly simple with a bbq by the pool, having done most of our preparation today. If it get's too hot (like we expect it to be tomorrow), we move the celebrations inside and chill out. So no matter what you celebrate, I wish you all a very happy and safe holidays.

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Chapter 9- Sorry but- I'm a what?

The sunrise over Potter Manor truly was a beautiful sight. The land seemed to simply come alive as the early morning rays washed over the delicate dew of the night. Harry turned in his sleep, being gently awoken by the rays that began to light his room. Ditching any attempt to continue his blissful sleep, Harry yawned before sitting up and admiring the view of the lake outside rippling gently, looking like a sheet of living crystal in the early morning. Giving a final stretch, Harry hopped out of bed and went to investigate his ensuite. Fresh towels had already been laid out, as well as an assortment of potions and lotions to clean with. Harry decided to begin by cleaning his teeth in the large marble vanity. While there were charms that could be used to quickly clean teeth, using a brush and toothpaste were always the most effective. Magical toothpaste was different from Muggle toothpaste in that it actually did all the things that it claimed- something that Harry sorely needed. While he had tried to maintain as much hygiene as possible while living with the Dursley's, it was hard to wash one's teeth with only a finger and a pea-sized amount of the cheapest toothpaste available. Thankfully Harry had no lasting damage, but his teeth could certainly use a deep clean.

Once Harry was happy with how his teeth gleamed, he grabbed an assortment of potions and headed for the large shower. As he turned on the rainwater shower head, he knew that this was a morning ritual that he would never see as a chore. The hot water was heavenly; the perfect temperature and the perfect pressure. Harry decided to wash his hair first, as he was in desperate need of a deep conditioning. Harry breathed deeply as the scent of green tea from his shampoo potion permeated the air- it was definitely a scent that he would purchase again. Leaving the matching conditioner to sit in his hair a bit, Harry began work on his body. As he began working his way down his now very scrawny chest, he winced in pain as he touched a spot under his ribs too hard. As he looked down, he was greeted by a large swollen bruise- a final parting gift from Dudley it seemed. Harry had no doubt that there were many more bruises on his body; he would have to see if Hermione had anything that would help heal them faster. He knew it would break her heart to see them, but he would rather that she didn't think he was trying to hide them from her.

Rinsing off his hair and body, Harry left the shower and towelled himself down a bit before casting a drying charm on his hair. For once his hair actually looked good and maintained. He considered it for a moment before using his wand to change the length a bit- more like how it looked when he was hunting for the Horcruxes, and less like the bowl that his aunt had used when she attempted to cut his hair. With that done, Harry began the last step in what would be his daily routine- applying his new Scar-Be-Gone potion. Years of abuse had left him with many physical scars. Thankfully, if he applied the potion every day, all of the scars would clear up in the next six week. The only thing that the potion didn't work on was curse scars; something he was glad that Hermione didn't have to deal with anymore. Harry dressed in a pair of casual jeans and a black t-shirt before heading towards the casual kitchen and dining area on the same floor, hoping to whip up a surprise for his new family.

Down the corridor, Hermione was beginning her day much the same as Harry was. Before she showered though, she practised some of her yoga stances, working on centering her core. Her balance was a bit off as she grew used to her younger body, but overall it was fairly effective. Her head felt clearer, and she could feel her magic pulse. Orthello had popped in before her meditation to explain to her that she would be able to use magic within the Manor, telling her how Harry had levitated her to bed. Hermione also decided it would be best not to use her Ollivander's wand, for the same reason as Harry. And so, using her Ravenclaw wand she transfigured her pyjamas back into the clothes they originally were. She marvelled at how well the founder's wand interacted with her magic. The transfiguration was effortless, even with her still-developing core.

Hermione then showered, using some of the new potions that she had gotten to help tame her hair. She was amazed at how easy they were to use; they simply replaced the original shampoo and conditioning potions that she usually used. Once she was out of the shower, she then sprayed her still wet hair with a final potion, before using a drying charm on the usually deranged hair. The end result nearly made her cry for joy. Her hair looked just as groomed and manageable as it did for the Yule Ball- but with nowhere near the amount of time and effort. And the potions she used had a semi-permanent effect as well- the more she used them, the longer her hair would stay as it was. As is, the current effects would last a week before she would need to reapply them, even if she was washing her hair with her regular potions in that time.

Feeling refreshed, Hermione put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before checking her Manor Map to see where everyone was. It looked like her dad was still asleep, and her mum was in the shower. She saw Harry's name in the kitchen and decided that she should try to help him with whatever he was cooking.

As she approached the kitchen she began to smell an array of wonderful smells- Harry must have really been cooking up an assortment of food! She could smell the sizzling bacon, sauteed onions, and vanilla. What made her heart sore though was what she heard- Harry was singing Bohemian Rhapsody to himself, and doing remarkably well. Hermione had introduced Harry to the music of Queen during their fifth year when she had managed to find a record that would work on one of the record players that the Room of Requirement could supply them. Harry had loved it, as it was so different from the prim and proper music that the Durley's listened to; they had believed that Rock music was an invention of Wizards after Sirius had sent Lily a Howler when she was home from Hogwarts. The contents of the Howler were simply the Marauders belting out We Are The Champions, yet Petunia had believed that it proved that rock and roll were apart of the evil magic community.

Harry had tuned out the world around him as he cooked; there was bacon and eggs, onions, sausages and beans. He was also trying his hand at waffles- something he had only cooked a few times for the Dursley's. While he hated that he was basically a slave to the Dursely's, cooking was one of the things he genuinely enjoyed doing. Just not for them. During the hunt, he could be found most mornings cooking with Kreacher before Ron woke up. The one time that Ron saw Harry cooking, he threw a fit, saying that he was wasting his time doing Kreacher and Hermione's job. Despite knowing that with all her finesse in potions, Hermione couldn't cook to feed a pig.

Hermione could see that Harry was in a world of his own. Rather than distract him, she sat down at the small dining table and observed the room. The kitchen was state of the art- it was obvious that some member of Harry's family loved to cook. She saw that every once in awhile Harry would look for an ingredient, and if he couldn't find it he would call out to Cookie, the Manor's chef elf. Cookie would appear, take note of what ingredient Harry needed and then return with it, but nothing more. Cookie must have been well conditioned to allowing her Master's to cook, otherwise Harry would have been having arguments with her like he did with Kreacher. It took a long time for Kreacher to stop screaming every time Harry began cooking, believing that he must be failing as an elf if his Master felt the need to cook for himself. It was a good thing that Ron was a deep sleeper and that the silencing charms they tended to put up around the kitchen held up.

She found it fascinating to watch Harry cook. He took such care in preparing his ingredients, making sure that things were at the proper temperature. Just as she did with Potions. And yet, cooking escaped her skills. She tried and tried, yet things were always off. Sure she could cook well enough to sustain herself, but that was about it. Harry looked like he was just about done cooking, as he moved to start preparing tea to go with the food. Hermione could see completed platters of food on the kitchen bench, so she began to move them to the middle of the set table. Harry still hasn't seen her, which made her smile. It was great to see Harry drop his guard and be so carefree. He had gotten so paranoid during the hunt that he was unconsciously detecting people's magic in the area. It made him constantly twitchy and prone to outbursts of irritation. And with a lack of meditations, he wasn't able to centre himself and release the pent up energy he had accumulated.

Harry was just finishing preparing the tea when Dan and Jean walked into the kitchen. Dan's eye's bulged at the breakfast feast that was laid out on the table. "Gee Harry, your elves really do know how to put together a big breakfast," Dan exclaimed, salivating at the thought of tucking into the hearty meal.

Hermione giggled at a combination of her father's reaction and Harry finally realising that she was sitting at the dining table. "While I have to agree Dad that Harry has wonderful elves, they didn't make any of the food. That was all Harry," Hermione said, taking pride in the look of appreciation that her parents gave Harry. Harry looked a bit flustered at the praise, not used to being thanked for doing a chore.

Harry levitated the bulging teapot and teacups to the dining table, letting everyone serve their own cup; it was such a personal preference after all. Hermione liked hers with lemon and honey, while Jean liked hers with a little bit of milk. Dan drank his straight, while Harry liked a teaspoon of sugar.

While enjoying her tea and the spread of food in front of her, Hermione admired the simple room. She could see why the Potter's preferred to use this room over a separate dining room; there was a certain homeliness and casual atmosphere that the room had that would be very hard to replicate without a kitchen.

The southern and western walls were entirely glass, giving an unobstructed view of a section of the Potter grounds. Hermione could see what looked like stable's, as well as what appeared to be a small Quidditch pitch in the distance. Hermione was not at all surprised by its presence. The Potter's were inherently Quidditch mad it seemed. The cooking section of the room was made up of a large marble kitchen bench and cabinets along the northern wall, with a kitchen island running parallel to it. Equipt with bar stools, it would make a wonderful spot for a bit of quick breakfast like toast or cereal, or to simply chat with whoever was cooking. The eastern wall was a large walk-in pantry. Hermione had seen an assortment of herbs and spices as she walked past it, and could see a large charmed area at the back of it for refrigerated items. The beech wood table that they sat at was located on the south-west corner of the room, with space to seat eight people, though it could easily be extended. The room was painted in shades of a light grey-blue, giving the room a slight beachy feel without any of the tacky ornaments.

As the group began to finish up their meal, the group began planning out their day. Jean and Dan were going back to their house to gather some things with the help of a Potter elf, before visiting a real estate agent to sell their dental practice and put the house up for rent. It was decided that it would be safest for the pair to live at Potter Manor until Voldemort was dealt with. Besides, in the old timeline, they had already been planning on retiring soon. While they loved their work, it was time for a change. Jean explained how she wanted to take up gardening, and Dan wanted to try his hand at woodworking. Pastimes that would keep them busy and content at Potter Manor. Hermione explained how she and Harry were going to sit in the Library for awhile and properly debrief on the events of their old timeline. Both were curious to see what they could potentially change this time around if they took the right steps.

Cookie popped in and began clearing away the plates before Harry could tell her otherwise, humming increasingly louder to herself to help drown out her master's protests. Harry sighed good-naturedly when he finally gave up. While he was more than happy to deal with the dishes himself, he saw the genuine joy on Cookie's face as she was allowed to help in any way she could. He would have to get used to letting the elves have their way it seemed. With a farewell for the day, the group split up and went their separate ways. Dan and Emma went to the Floo room to be Disapparated by an elf, while Hermione and Harry walked towards the Library.

Harry could see that Hermione was already deep in thought as they approached the room. To his surprise, she successfully walked past all the books before stopping at a desk, grabbing parchment, ink and a quill before continuing on to a cluster of reading chairs with a small coffee table. On the top of the parchment she immediately wrote "Basic Timeline", before sitting back and looking at Harry.

"Harry before we start this, I figured it might be best to talk about what happened a few days ago before it begins to eat at us too much. And by that I mean talk about how we ended up in this situation in the first place; Our deaths. Because ultimately, that's what we need to prevent first. And I don't know about you, but I can vividly remember how I died, and it haunts me. Even more than being tortured by Bellatrix. I can only imagine what it must've been like for you, " Hermione said with a sad look in her eye's.

Harry sighed with relief. "Honestly, I'm glad you bought it up Hermione. I was going to ask you about it, but was worried about how you might react. Do you want me to go first?" At Hermione's nod, Harry continued on. " The whole time we were at Hogwarts I felt fuzzy and not in full control of myself. It must have been the potions that Ron was giving us. My scar was burning the whole time, and there are some things that are just so blurry that I don't even remember them. Like, I remember key things, but not how I got to them? I remember watching Snape's memories and hearing Dumbledore saying that I had to die because of the Horcrux in me. I remember learning that Snape wasn't a bad guy, that he was a pawn of Dumbledore for all those years. I was confused when I realised that I was alone, that for some reason you and Ron weren't watching the memories with me. When Voldemort called for me to come to the Forest, I just… started moving. I remember opening the snitch and finding the Resurrection Stone. The last Deathly Hallow. The snitch opened because I knew I was going to die in case you were wondering. I used the Stone. My parents were there, as well as all the others. Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Fred… even Snape was there, hovering in the background. They gave me the strength to do what I knew I had to do. In the end, my death was quick. Don't get me wrong, it hurt like a bitch, but it was quick at least. And then I ended up in Valhalla with Gabriel." Harry concluded, taking a deep breath as he felt the weight begin to lift off of his shoulders.

Hermione had tears in her eyes as she heard Harry calmly talk about his death. At some point in his story, she had taken his hands into her own. She gave his hands a gentle squeeze in support. "Oh Harry. We will make sure that that will never happen again." Harry gave her a small smile, before nodding in her direction. It was her turn.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione started shortly after she last saw Harry. "I was also feeling the effects of the potions so I know exactly what you were talking about. Everything was hazy, and I found myself agreeing with nearly everything that Ron said. When you went to view the memories, Ron dragged me to go and check on his family. They were grieving for Fred. Ginny pulled me out of the room and started shouting at me. At this point I was feeling so drained and drugged by the potions, I don't even recall what she was saying. I think she was trying to blame me for the death of Fred, something about not being smart enough to fix all this before it started? Next thing I know, she has me locked in a broom closet. I don't know how long I was in there, but I heard Voldemort's message about how he had killed you. I wanted to cry but I couldn't. Ginny had put me in a full body bind spell, and with the state of my body, I couldn't gather enough magic to free myself. Shortly after Voldemort's victory speech, the fighting began again. But this time it was different. The death eaters were clearly winning, and the Light had lost all of its hope. Honestly, I'm glad that no one found me. It terrifies me to imagine what would have happened to me if I had been found by a death eater. As the fighting progressed, I could feel the castle around me. It was falling apart. In the end, the ceiling above me collapsed. I must have been hit right in the head because the next thing I know I'm being talked to by an awkward angel in a trench coat. I've had to sleep with a light on the past few nights. The darkness just takes me right back to that closet, " Hermione shivered at the thought.

It was Harry's turn to comfort Hermione. He kneeled down in front of her chair, pulling her into his arms. Hermione gave a quiet sob in his arms, embracing him tightly. They stayed like that on the floor for some time, before their breathing returned to could faintly sense Hermione's emotions in his mind, as gentle as a breeze. It took him a moment to realise that it wasn't his own emotions, but hers. After a few minutes they parted, returning to their chairs. Hermione gave one final sniffle, before turning to the task at hand.

The pair drew out a basic timeline of what happened over their years at Hogwarts. The Philosopher's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets... All of the major things that defined each year. They needed to have a basic scope of the situation before they began looking at each year in more detail- would changing something one way negatively impact something in the future? For example, if they captured Peter Pettigrew as soon as they got to Hogwarts, would it lead to the release of Sirius, or would it lead to the early return of Voldemort if Pettigrew escaped somehow? And they had to take into consideration the butterfly effect. How would their actions, even small ones, change the future?

With a basic timeline established, the pair began to look at everything that happened first year, from Harry's first visit to Diagon Alley to his return to the Durley's. The first issue was the Philosopher's Stone stored at Gringotts. Because of Gabriel's meddling, Hagrid would still be at Diagon Alley that day to collect the stone and take it back to Hogwarts. Harry and Hermione considered warning the Goblins about the potential robbery, but decided against it. Even in a symbiotic relationship with Professor Quirrell, Voldemort was dangerous. And the only thing that would destroy him in that form was a touch from Harry. With a start, Harry realised that this wouldn't be difficult to do at all. All he needed was his invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map. Then, he simply needed to find Quirrell and touch him. It was literally foolproof, because it could be done at any time. Even in the presence of other people. He knew that he would get the cloak for Christmas, so all that left was retrieving the map from Fred and George. He had always liked the twins, and was certain that they had no idea that their brother and sister had been drugging Harry and Hermione. With some luck, they would be able to rekindle that friendship this time around.

The next issue was the troll. In case Harry couldn't touch Quirrell before it happened, they were going to have to deal with the troll in the dungeons again. They were stumped on this- Hermione wouldn't be in the same situation again, so there was no need for Harry to go and rescue her from the troll. But if they let the teacher's deal with it, who knew what the outcome would be? For now, Hermione put a question mark next to it, and would come back to it later.

Both Harry and Hermione were concerned about the measures that were put in place to protect the Philosopher's stone. Thinking back on them, they realised how simple they were. Simple enough for a group of first year's to solve. It was obvious that Dumbledore had done this on purpose. But why? Was it a test for Harry and his friends?

As they began to work through events, Hermione began tapping her fingers. There was something that she wanted to fix, but she wasn't sure how to go about it. And for some reason her thoughts were fixated on it, almost as though she was being mentally pushed to solve the issue… sighing, she simply wrote one word on the paper. Neville.

Harry frowned at the name for a moment. Neville was plaguing him as well. Neville had always been a true friend to Harry, and if it hadn't been for the loyalty charms and potions that he had been plied with, would have been his best mate. They were god-brothers after all. Harry had seen how Neville's confidence had dramatically increased after his training with the DA. During the Battle for Hogwarts, Neville had an air of confidence and leadership that Harry had never seen from the young man. What would Harry and Hermione have to do to make sure that Neville could be this confident young man again, and sooner rather than later?

The pair must have been thinking about the issue quite hard, for neither realised the sheet of paper that had appeared on their table for some time. When they did finally notice it, it was obvious that the Fates were paying attention. The note was from Gabriel, and stated how he was dealing with a new death from the previous timeline. And low and behold, it was Neville. In a fit of Gryffindor bravery and stupidity, Neville had attempted to kill Voldemort himself. Apparently his grandmother had just been killed in front of him, and he simply snapped. Gabriel explained how the Fates looked at the Tapestry of Life again, and could see a strong thread connecting Harry and Neville. And so, the Laws of Nature were allowed to be broken once more, sending Neville and his grandmother back to the current time with their memories intact. Gabriel explained that it was the last time something like this could happen, as the old timeline began to implode under the small changes that Harry and Hermione were already making.

While they were sad to hear that Neville and Augusta had died, they were glad that the pair would now have their memories of the old timeline. Neville would hopefully retain his confidence, and Augusta would be a powerful ally to have in the Wizengamot. She was well respected by many of the old families, regardless of their magical affinity for light or dark. As they began to work out how to work out how to contact the Longbottom's, Orthello popped in to let that pair know that they had a Floo call waiting for them.

Hermione realised that it was most likely the Longbottom's, as Augusta would have known about the location of Potter Manor. That and Gabriel probably told the pair how to get into contact. Low and behold, it was Neville's face that Harry and Hermione were greeted by. Hermione opened the Floo connection to allow Neville and Augusta to travel through to the Manor.

As they arrived through the fireplace, Neville quickly walked over to Harry and Hermione and gave them both a friendly bear hug. "Blimey guys, it's great to see you both alive again. I thought it was all over when Hagrid carried Harry's body to the castle. And when we couldn't find you Hermione, we assumed the worst. Gabriel caught us up on everything that's been happening over the last few years that lead to the future. We are going to do everything we can to stop it right?" At the nods of his two friends, Neville stood tall, ready for anything. Neville had become a battle-hardened warrior over the last year. He would do anything to protect his future. Magic's future.

Harry felt a slight humming coming from his crown, but it wasn't enough to distract him from the matter at hand. Looking behind Neville, Harry was greeted with his first sight of Dowager Lady Augusta Longbottom. Harry had never had the honour of meeting her in his original timeline, and so he wanted to make a good impression. He walked over to her and extended his hand. " Dowager Lady Longbottom, it is my honour to welcome you and your heir to Potter Manor," Harry said as confidently as he could, kissing the back of her hand. Harry was surprised when he was instead pulled into a bone-crushing hug by the older woman.

"Oh dear boy, none of that aristocratic nonsense. Save it for the Wizengamot. I will not have my grand godson treating me like a pompous arse. Especially when I heard the juiciest secret from that feathered friend of yours." Augusta said, pulling back and beaming at Harry and Hermione. "I never thought we would see the royal lineage of the Founder's ever again, and now we have two! With a Soul Bond no less! And my my Harry, two House's? You have no idea how giddy it makes me!"

As Augusta talked more and more about the Founder's, the buzzing atop of Harry's head became more insistent. Harry could see that Hermione was feeling the same thing. As the buzzing seemed to reach its peak, a single word echoed in both of their minds. 'Heir. Heir. Heir.' Harry and Hermione both looked at each other, before looking at Neville. The echoing got louder and more insistent. 'HEIR. HEIR. HEIR.'

Hermione moved first, going straight to the Floo. At Neville and Augusta's looks of surprise, Harry simply told them to wait and see. Hermione was soon greeted with the face of Ragnuk. "Ragnuk, I apologise for calling so urgently, but we require the bank's services again. I think we have another heir situation on our hands here."

Ragnuk's eyes bulged, and without a word he hurried off to collect Gringott. Within moments the pair stepped through the fireplace, with the same tools used when testing Harry and Hermione's heritage.

"Harry mate, what's going on?" Neville said, bewildered at the events rapidly unfolding in front of him. And was that the legendary director of the bank himself?

"We will know soon enough Neville. Best to see what happens first before we tell you. Don't want to get your hopes up, just in case," Harry said, hoping that Neville would humour them for a moment.

Neville had heard about inheritance tests, yet had never witnessed one. Blood was something that the Longbottoms never really put much stock in, and so no one was ever really tested. He was confused as to why his friends wanted him to take one, but went along with it.

Neville pricked his finger and let a drop of blood hit the parchment. It was fascinating to see the drop of blood form a perfect sphere before spreading out and forming the same rune that appeared on all blood tests. The rune shined before disappearing, being replaced with text written in his own blood. What Neville read though made his blood run cold.

 _Crown Prince Neville Frank Longbottom_

 _Heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Longbottom,_

 _Heir to the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Hufflepuff,_

 _Heir to the Throne of Hogwarts._

 _As Magic says, so mote it be._

"I… What?" Neville managed to stammer out after looking at the paper for a minute. Hermione looked over his shoulder to see the result. Reading what she suspected, she simply gave a hum of approval. "How… How can I be good enough to be an heir to the Throne of Hogwarts? You two I understand. But me? I'm just Neville, the kid with his potions master as his Bogart. The kid that messes everything up," Neville continued, oblivious to the excitement going on around him. While Neville already wore the ring of House Longbottom, he still needed to be accepted by the ring of House Hufflepuff. Gringott was rapidly summoning the ring, as well as details pertaining to Neville's potential new vault at Gringotts.

Harry put a hand on Neville's shoulder, trying to calm him down. "I know it's a lot all at once Nev, but you should feel the energy that's coming from the Crown's of Hogwarts. It really wants to test you. And I think it will have no problem accepting you." Harry's words seemed to calm Neville a little bit. Not a lot, but enough to stop the boy from bouncing on his feet from nerves.

Gringott stepped forward and indicated that Neville make his vows to the Ring of Hufflepuff. If all went well, it would accept him.

Neville steeled himself, calling forth his most commanding voice. "I, Neville Frank Longbottom, do solemnly swear to uphold the values and magic of the House Hufflepuff, for as long as I live. I swear to leave a legacy that future generations will benefit from, and bring honour to my House. So I say, so mote it be."

The ring instantly glowed, indicating that it had accepted Neville as it's Lord. "Huh. So I guess that makes me Lord Hufflepuff when I come of age right?" Neville asked. While he knew that it was true, he just needed to voice the thought to make it feel more real. Less like the fairytale he seemed to be living in.

Harry unveiled the Crown of Hogwarts on his head, giving Neville and Augusta their first look at the ancient piece. Neville felt drawn to the object. Just as he was about to lift his hand and touch the artefact, he felt a wash of energy surround him. Neville had never felt a power as strong as this, even in the presence of a full powered Voldemort. Just as quickly as it came it settled, but never left. Neville could feel it in his core as a Crown of Hogwarts materialised on his head. It was a foreign sensation, but was far from uncomfortable. It was though the Crown had always belonged there, and was simply returning home. Neville looked around and saw that the Goblins, as well as his grandmother were bowing deeply towards him. Harry and Hermione both shook his hand, giving him small bows.

"I've got to say Crown Prince Neville, that Crown looks right at home on your head." Harry said with a cheeky grin. It was a game that the pair had played over the years, making fun of the aristocratic members of society.

Neville instantly fell into character, having missed this while Harry was gone. "Rightfully so I'd imagine. And I must say, your Crown is rather dapper as well Crown Prince Harry. And Crown Princess Hermione looks simply radiant with hers as well." Neville couldn't continue any further, as he and Harry broke down in laughter. Both found it ironic that after years of making fun of the snooty pureblood brigade that they were both the highest possible ranks that any magical person could be in their aristocracy.

Augusta was talking to the Goblins about the new vault that Neville possessed. To be keyed into the vault, Neville would first have to visit it. Hermione told Neville how he should expect to find a wand that would more than likely suit him perfectly, and potentially a weapon that Helga favoured. While it had been a short visit, Augusta and Neville decided it was best to go to Gringotts for now, and return to Potter Manor in the evening to make plans for Hogwarts. With a final farewell, Harry and Hermione were left alone once more.

It occurred to Harry how easy it was for the Longbottoms to access the Manor now that the War Wards were down. Did that mean the Dumbledore could now access the property? When Harry summoned Orthello and asked about it, the head elf told Harry about the Potter Ledger, a list of people that could access the Manor by Floo. Orthello assured Harry that Dumbledore was no longer on that list. Only the Lord or Lady of the Manor could change the ledger. While Harry was not recognised as a Lord by the Wizengamot yet, he was still considered to be Lord of the Manor.

Orthello led the soul mates to a large study that belonged to the Lord and Lady of the Manor. On the bottom floor between the Floo room and the formal dining room, the study was home to the Potter Ledger and other important family documents. Orthello was quite pleased to be showing his young master this room, for it would surely make him happy. "Master Harry, your mother and father left behind a gift in this room for you to one day make use of. I think you will find it most useful," Orthello said as he opened the large doors leading to the cosy study. The western wall was as usual entirely glass, with bookcases lining the southern and northern walls. There was a small seating area in the middle of the room, with two large mahogany desks running parallel to the bookcases. It would make for a good meeting and planning room in the future.

"Well look at that, he finally made it here. Welcome home Prongslet," A voice that Harry recognised said from behind him. Harry whipped around and was greeted with a sight on the eastern wall that he thought he would never see.

"Mum? Dad?"


	10. Chapter 10- Knowledge is power

A/N I swear, I am ready for this Australian summer to be over. It is ridiculously humid right now, and has been for the last month. All I want is to able to comfortably wear jeans again, without feeling just... bleh. I hope you have all been doing well, and enjoy a bit of Lily and James banter at the beginning here. These two were super fun to write once I knew how I wanted them to be. Next chapter will be the much anticipated (at least for me!) train trip, and oh boy won't that be a fun one.

Stay safe everyone, and remember. Your actions speak louder than words.

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 **Chapter 10- Knowledge is power**

"Lily darling?" James called out while using his fingers as a guide like he had seen muggle photographers do.

"Yes, James?" Lily called back from her seat mere meters away.

"How do you think my face would look in the advisory painting? Dark and dull with the current lighting?" James asked, gesturing towards the spot where he would one day advise his own heir in the Master study.

Lily sighed. "I don't know James, do you think your grandfather looks dark and dull in his painting?"

"Well yes, but Henry was always dark and dull to me," James muttered under his breath

"Just because I'm dead and in a painting doesn't mean I can't hear you talking right next to me James Fleamont Potter!" Henry Potter yelled.

-O-O-

"Lily darling?" James called out, fingering through an interesting magazine he had found in Sirius's room.

"Yes, James?" Lily called back from the other side of the Library.

"Do you think paintings feel temperature like we do?" James asked, admiring the stiffened nipples of the naked model atop of a motorbike in the magazine.

"Well, I'm not sure. Why do you ask?" Lily responded, confused by the randomness of the question.

"No reason," James quickly responded. "Say, you wouldn't happen to… I don't know… Want to take some pictures with my new motorbike would you?"

-O-O-

"Lily darling?" James whispered in the dark.

"Yes, James?" Lily mumbled from her side of the bed.

"Do you think magical paintings can have sex with other people in paintings?" James asked.

Lily rolled over, chuckling sleepily. "I don't know James, why don't you go and ask your father's painting?"

James's eyes nearly bugged out of his bed at the thought of catching his beloved parents painting's in the act. "Never mind darling. Never mind."

-O-O-

"Lily darling?" James asked as they sat in the comfy chairs of the family room

"Yes, James?" Lily responded, cooing over the baby in her arms.

"Does Harry get a painting if he dies before he gets his wand?" James asked, realising he had never seen a painting of a child under eleven in the Manor.

"I don't know James. Seems like a bit of a morbid question though doesn't it?" Lily asked, growing concerned for her husband. Voldemort was getting stronger, his attacks more frequent. James had nearly been seriously injured in a recent Auror raid.

"Yeah I guess so," James said as he wrapped his wife and child into an awkward embrace on the couch.

-O-O-

"Lily darling?" James yelled out from the first story of the safe house. He could see the wards being destroyed by Voldemort. Pettigrew must've betrayed them!

"Yes, James?" Lily called back, trying to ward the nursery that they were keeping Harry in. The protection charm was nearly complete, the only ingredient left was… the life of the mother.

"I'll see you back at the Manor. I'm going to try and kick the bastard in the balls before he kills me." James answered, trying to sound a lot braver than he was actually feeling.

"You do that darling. Say hello to your mother for me, I'm probably going to be taking over her frame very soon," Lily called for the final time in her mortal life.

Voldemort was at the door.

-O-O-

"James darling?" Lily called out.

"Yes, Lily?" James called back.

" Can you stop singing that stupid song? I swear you have been singing it for years," Lily asked, trying to remain calm. Queen's Another One Bites the Dust used to be one of her favourite sings before James started singing it after their deaths.

"Well Lily darling, it's not like we are getting any new music anytime soon. We have been stuck here for eight years. " James responded for what seemed like the hundredth time... Actually... It might just be.

Lily pinched the bridge of her nose, looking out at the same study that she had looked at every day for the past eight year

"Lily darling?" James called out after a moment.

"Yes, James?" Lily asked, using the most monotonous voice she could muster.

James giggled like a child. "Want to play I Spy again?"

"Oh fuck off James", Lily almost cried. She hoped Harry would come soon. What she wouldn't give to have the ability to move from her own painting so she could throttle James…

-O-O-

"Mum? Dad?" Harry managed to stutter out. He had to have been dreaming, or maybe he slipped down the stairs and he had a concussion. But it felt too real. Without thinking, Harry blurted out the first thing that popped into his head. "How are you?"

James looked chuffed. "Well son, I'm glad you asked. For being dead, I think I'm doing pretty well. But with some of the yelling that I've endured over the years, I fear that your mother is slowly transforming into a Harpy. "

"James!" Lily yelled out, chuckling at the same time. While there had been times over the years when she would have gladly hexed her husband into silence, she knew that he was just trying to keep their lonely existence as bearable as possible. "Ignore your father sweetie, I didn't talk to him for a whole year a few years back and I fear that it might have made him a bit loopy."

Hermione could see that Harry was in a state of shock, so she decided to step in. Magical paintings had always fascinated her, but there was very little information available outside of pureblood families about how they were created and such. She took a breathe, hoping to make a good first impression. "Hello Lord and Lady Potter. It's lovely to meet you. I'm Hermione Dagworth-Granger," Hermione said, using her new full name for the first time. While she wouldn't use it at Hogwarts just yet, it felt nice to hear herself say the name.

James looked delighted. "Hoohoo. It's been years since I've heard anyone say that family name. Well, Hermione darling it is an absolute pleasure to meet my son's Soul Mate."

It seemed that 'Soul Mate' had become a trigger phrase to snap Harry out of his funks. "How did you find out about that already?" Harry asked. Did the Manor have ears?

"While we have been confined to our paintings the past few years, Vaermina has been keeping us up to date with your life, or what she could See of it. We were furious to hear all of what Dumbledore had done. I'm so sorry that you had to go through the torture that was my sister and her pig of a husband." Lily said sadly, so disappointed that they didn't prepare enough to stop Dumbledore from double-crossing them. " Vaermina was with us for most of last night, getting us caught up on the whole Instrument of the Fates things you guys have going on. We knew you were going to be special Harry, but we had no idea… Regardless, I'm just glad that you have finally made it home to us. And now that you are home and the War Wards are down, your father and I can finally move around from our own frames."

"You mean you have been stuck in your frames for nearly ten years? Who thought that was a good design feature?" Harry asked, questioning the sanity of his ancestors.

James chuckled, glad that someone agreed with him. "Well, in theory, it was a good feature. It forced every Potter painting back into its home frame, even those whom generally resided in other secondary paintings in locations like Hogwarts or the Ministry. While it's not common knowledge, a magical painting can be tortured, even abolished. For that reason, the whole family is called home when the War Wards are activated. But there was never a contingency put in place in case the last remaining Potter was only a baby and couldn't lower the wards after the threat had passed. As for being locked into our individual paintings, who knows. Some sick bastard probably thought it would be a funny joke, but none of your ancestors' paintings are owning up to it. And after the last decade, they probably never will. They would never hear the end of it. But enough about our situation, tell us how you have been. Both the now and then."

Harry didn't even really know where to begin, there was so much that had happened. So, he figured he might as well start from the beginning. He had done something similar for Hermione a few months back on a freezing cold night when they ran out of ideas for hiding places and ended back in the Forest of Dean. They had been exchanging small stories, such as Hermione's memories of camping in the summer in the forest as a child. As the conversation went on, the topics deepened. For the first time in his life, Harry told someone about the horrors of his childhood and the atrocities that occurred during the summers away from Hogwarts. Hermione simply held him, sobbing as he told the story of how he had found a stray kitten while gardening. When Vernon discovered that Harry had been caring for the lost creature, he drowned it and made Harry bury the tiny body deep under the ground. Harry was only seven years old. And that was only the tip of a tragic iceberg.

This time, Harry was much calmer as he told his parents the same harrowing tales. Hermione simply held him from behind, trying her hardest to project her thoughts of support and comfort to her soulmate. While she wasn't sure if it worked, Harry did grip her hand and give it a gentle squeeze.

Lily and James cried as Harry told them how he wasn't allowed to have friends as a child. Anytime any other kid was seen as being nice to Harry, Dudley would scare them off in any way possible. Even the teachers eventually came to ignore Harry, else they have to deal with a temper tantrum from Dudley. No one knew that Harry and Dudley were related: Dudley was picked up every afternoon by Petunia, and Harry was made to walk home. No matter what the weather was like.

In later years, when the Dursley's realised that Harry wasn't allowed to use magic outside of school, the torture resumed. More often than not, he was forced back into his old cupboard under the stairs. And when Dudley realised that Harry's broken bones healed after a week, broken bones became a frequent occurrence. And nothing seemed to stop it. It seemed that whenever he would send a letter to Ron or Hermione, they simply ignored the terrible facts that were contained within the letters. He later learned that the letters all seemed to be edited before they reached their destination- omitting all abuse.

After third year, the abuse stopped. But only because Harry had mentioned the name, Sirius Black. The look on Petunia's face was one of sheer terror. And for a time, Harry was left alone. Until fifth year was over. Upon learning that Sirius had died, the Dursleys rapidly returned to their old ways.

And so, Harry was more often than not very battered whenever he would inevitably fall into the care of the Weasley's. They, however, simply brushed it off as rough play between growing lads. Either they truly were oblivious or were doing so under orders from Dumbledore.

Harry told his parents about everything else that had happened over the years as well of course. How his heart swelled the first time he saw Hogwarts, finally making friends. How Sirius had been imprisoned and escaped in his third year. The hope that Harry felt when Sirius talked about Harry living with him. The nearly yearly Voldemort attacks and the number of incompetent teachers. Harry didn't yet mention anything about Snape; a topic for another day.

And then came last year. When Harry told his parents that Dumbledore had sent him on a veritable scavenger hunt, his parents were furious with the old man. When Harry told them that the objects he was hunting were Horcruxes, both of his parents went a sickly grey with tinges of green. After the way that they had died, they knew that Voldemort was creating the foul artifacts. Contrary to the stories, James and Lily Potter were not instantly killed. No, they were tortured as Voldemort collected pieces of their bones, taken straight from the living body, James's still pulsing liver, and Lily's breathing lung. Voldemort wasn't using their souls to split his own, oh no. He was going to use Harry's, as a last fuck you to the Prophecy. But he needed bodily ingredients to perform the ritual, as fresh as he could get. In the past, it was believed that you needed to use ingredients from one's own body to perform the soul rip. Reason enough to stop anyone from performing the terrible feat. Voldemort however, experimented with the same ingredients taken from others. And he was successful. He hadn't however, predicted the protections that Lily had placed on Harry with rare and ancient blood magic.

Harry told his parents about how they had greeted him when he used the resurrection stone. How Sirius had embraced him, telling him that death was easy, to not be scared. How he cried out when he saw that Tonks and Remus were there as well. His own godson had been orphaned nearly the same way that he had. And now Harry was having to do the same thing that Sirius had had to do- confront the killers that orphaned a child he was bound by magic to protect. He had seen Snape standing by the treeline, but decided to leave that part out.

Finally, Harry told his parents everything that Gabriel had told him. How Dumbledore had been blocking his magic and kept he and Hermione drugged with loyalty and love potions. How he had learned about his Soul Bond to Hermione, and how much sense it made. How had had already died so many times, and this was his last chance. And how even if he did die this time, he wasn't afraid. By now, Death was an old friend, even if Harry couldn't remember meeting the Horseman. His only regret would be leaving Hermione behind in a ravaged world.

Throughout this story, the elves had been working behind the scenes, adjusting things as they saw necessary. A comfy couch had been placed in front of the paintings, as they imagined that Harry and Hermione would spend a lot of time here getting to know Lily and James. The pair had been gently pulled down onto the couch, so enthralled with Harry's own words that they didn't even realise the transition from standing to sitting. A small coffee table was placed in front of them, with tea, scones and little sandwiches laid out for lunch. Cookie had tried to make a nutrient-rich broth for Harry, but Orthello had stopped him at the last moment. If they began to repair the damage to Harry now, Madam Pomfrey wouldn't see as much of the lasting damage that the Dursleys had inflicted upon Harry. It was unfortunate, but was necessary to begin building a case against Dumbledore.

Once Hermione realised the tea, she began fixing Harry and herself a plate. Harry's parents were quiet for awhile, absorbing everything that they had learned. Harry seemed at peace. There was a smile on his face as he looked at the moving faces of his parents and just watched them. This, in turn, made Hermione smile. While the Bond was still young, she could feel it getting stronger. She could feel more and more of Harry's emotions in her mind. Now it was like a gentle caress in the back of her mind.

Lily cleared her throat, and in a very Hermione like way, began to list off things. "Right. First and foremost, welcome home dears. I am terribly sorry for all the pain and suffering that you have had to deal with over the years. Hopefully this time we can help to make things better. Hermione dear, please call us Lily and James, or any sort of nickname you can come up with. With your Bond to Harry, you're practically already our daughter in law. Second, I assume Dumbledore has no idea that you are both here?" At the nods from the two children, Lily nodded to herself, a calculating look in her eyes. Harry thought that the resemblance between Hermione and his mother's behaviors was almost uncanny. Lily sighed to herself, before cursing under her breath. "I can assume that you have both already started making plans? Since I don't know every detail, it's hard for me to find a starting point."

At this, James started chuckling. "Lily dear, you can't plan everything for everyone. Besides, Harry and Hermione are perfectly capable of making things right. The Fates chose them for a reason after all."

Harry swelled with pride at his father's confidence in them. Hermione smiled at him, thinking the same. Despite the fact that she had never met Harry's parents before, she already felt at home with them. It was curious, they were so similar to Harry and herself… Hermione shook her head, determined not to overthink it. She had a feeling it had something to do with the Fates, something that she felt she would never truly understand.

"We have started planning," Hermione began. "We have already contacted the Neville and Augusta Longbottom, who were sent back just like us. Augusta will be able to help us with anything regarding the Wizengamot and keeping Dumbledore at bay using the law. We've planned on getting all of our study for the first year perfected by the end of the summer so that we don't have to worry about it later on. Professor Quirrell and the shade of Voldemort attached to him will be easy to deal with since all we need is for Harry to touch him. And, thinking about it, I don't think we will have to worry about the Philosophers Stone at all."

Everyone else seemed to be surprised by this statement. Hermione smiled, enjoying knowing things that others didn't. "While we were on the Horcrux hunt, I read something interesting in the Daily Prophet. It was about how the Ministry was seeking the assistance of Nicolas Flamel, and how anyone with information about his or his wife's whereabouts should contact the Ministry. It was obvious that Voldemort wanted the Flamels for their expertise in Alchemy. But, without the Elixir of Life to sustain them, they should have been well and truly dead by that time, if Dumbledore had destroyed the stone like he said. And I have no doubt that he did. But I don't think it was the real stone. We would have felt an incredible wave of magic if it was. Besides, why would the Flamels, the oldest witch, and wizard of all time, entrust their most precious possession to Dumbledore? Especially knowing that he was using Hagrid, who has no real magic to defend himself with if he was mugged, to deliver errands. Ergo, the stone at the castle was never the real stone."

Everyone was gobsmacked, but could find no fault in Hermione's logic. It was perfectly sound. A lolly wrapper floated out of nowhere. Hermione snatched it out of the air and saw that it had the word 'Bingo', written on it. She showed Harry, who sighed with relief. At the curious looks from Lily and James, Hermione told them that Gabriel would send little notes letting them know if they were on the right track. It was one of the few things he could do now to help them out.

With the major events of the school year sorted, that only left the more minor things. Getting Harry properly checked out and vaccinated, keeping Ron away and staying out of trouble. Harry wanted to try and get the Marauders map back from Fred and George as soon as possible. Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to join the Quidditch team again this time around. While he genuinely loved the sport, it made him an easy target. Harry was just telling his parents about the behaviour of Draco Malfoy in first year, when James let out a gasp.

"Harry, you mean Lucius Malfoy's boy? The son of Narcissa?" James asked quickly. At Harry's nod, James let out a whoop of joy. "I think we can save Sirius this year!"

James explained how because Harry was Sirius's godson, Sirius could never bring harm to the Potter's. It was how the magical bond between Harry and Sirius worked. It was a fact that the Wizagmont would have to listen to, which would make them realise that Sirius was incarcerated without a trial. Harry and Hermione already knew this, and were confused why Draco was relevant. James explained how they could use Draco's Pureblood arrogance for their benefit. He explained how the should genuinely try and make friends with the boy, as it would save them a lot of issues in the future, even possibly bring the boy to the Light. But how they should also question why Draco didn't have an Heir ring for the House of Black. If Sirius had been convicted and his title stripped from him, Harry would no longer be Heir Apparent to House Black. Draco would be Heir Black, and would have been given an Heir ring. This would make Draco question his father about it. And in turn, Lucius himself would question the Wizengamot about why his son was being denied a potential Lordship.

James was breathless at that point. "See? Sirius could be freed, and it would mean that Dumbledore couldn't even attempt to take guardianship of Harry. All by the end of the year!"

Harry was impressed. While his mother was brilliant, it was obvious that James had been raised to one day be Lord Potter and take his seat at the Wizengamot. He knew how to play politics to his advantage.

Hermione added it to her growing list of things to do. She was already starting to sort things into chronological order, giving the pair a clear timeframe in which to complete their tasks. While it could always be adapted to suit the butterfly effect that they would cause, it gave them a good base to start with.

It was starting to get late at this point. Harry couldn't believe how fast the day had gone! James had just started to tell Harry and Hermione stories about some of the things he liked to do around the Manor when the doors to the office swung open, revealing Jean and Dan.

"Sorry we took so long kids, getting the practice on the market took a bit longer than we expected. On the plus side, packing up the house took no time at all with the help of the House elves. We just bought some essentials with us and put the rest in storage. And did we hear you talking to someone? Are the Longbottoms here?" Jean said, turning around to see if the Longbottoms were sitting near the wall behind her. Not seeing anyone, she looked up, seeing the portrait that Lily and James were sitting in. "Oh Hary, is this a painting of your parents? They look wonderful,so life like…"

James laughed, causing Jean and Dan to scream. "Well I should hope so. Oh dear, you must be Hermione's folks. Muggles right? Sorry for the fright."

Lily smacked James over the back of the head, chastising him for scaring their guests. "James, don't terrify the poor things. Don't you remember how my muggle parents were the first time you bought them here to meet the family? They nearly fainted when all the paintings started moving and talking!"

To their credit, the Granger's recovered from the shock relatively quickly. The elves bought in a second couch and set it up so that both couches had a view of each other and the paintings. Dan and Emma introduced themselves, and fell into an easy conversation with the Potter's. Dinner was served and eaten while getting to know each other, and soon they were all exchanging stories and laughing like one big family.

As midnight approached, everyone was starting to feel exhausted. Harry found it difficult to tear himself away from his parents, but reassured himself that he would come back in the morning to talk more. With heavy eyes and a light heart, Harry drifted to sleep in his bed, dreaming of his parents laughs and smiling faces. It was more than he could have ever hoped for.

-O-O-

The rest of the summer flew by. Neville had gone to the bank, where he claimed the wand of Hufflepuff, which was a wand with multiple woods and a unique core just like the other Founder wands. The woods were; chestnut, ebony, elm, fir, larch and rowan, with a core of the most curious feather Hermione had ever heard of. A golden Valkyrie feather, gifted to Helga by one of the last of the now extinct warrior race. Helga's weapon of choice was a battlestaff, dipped in the essence of the sun by the same ancient Valkyrie. Neville was eager to learn how to use it, and insisted that they should all begin weapons training when their bodies were old enough and strong enough to support the weapons. Neville also got an Ollivanders wand, instead of using his father's old wand this time around. He didn't want to be made fun of for his magic because he was using a wand that wasn't suited to him at all. The Goblins had also transferred a magical block that had been placed on Neville, allowing the boy to reach his full potential at last.

Neville visited the Manor nearly every day, studying and practicing magic with Harry and Hermione. As Hermione predicted, they were fully revised and perfected all first year work after only a week. And a week after that they had already preemptively completed many of the first year assignments and homework that they knew they would receive. All they had to do was catalog it all by week and subject, and double check that something hadn't changed before handing them in. This ensured that the trio would have all the time that they needed to make a meaningful impact on the future, or even just simply enjoy being first year students without a care in the world again.

Hermione and Neville taught Harry the basics of meditation, so that he could begin calming his core. It took a while for Harry to find his perfect method. In fact, when he did finally find it, it was entirely by accident. Harry had been in turn teaching Neville and Hermione how to properly fly on a broom when he realised how relaxed and at peace he felt in the air. Hermione was not surprised at all when Harry told her what his meditation technique was - it was probably the reason why Harry's magic had never really bubbled over in the original timeline, since he spent so much time flying while practicing Quidditch.

Harry and Hermione spent a lot of time with Lily and James, who introduced them to the rest of the Potter Paintings. Located on a small fifth floor to the Manor that Harry had initially overlooked on his Manor map, was an observatory filled with paintings of his ancestors. They all told him stories of when he was little, and tales from their own times. One things that became clear to Harry was that every partner of a Potter was their equal, and was always considered to be one of the brightest witches or wizards of their age. This included a very great aunt, Phyllida Spore. Aunt Spore just happened to be a past Headmaster at Hogwarts, and while she couldn't fully return to her painting without alerting Dumbledore to the fact that the war wards were down, she could still listen in on the room. All the other paintings, despite feeling a bit of cabin fever, agreed that they would only listen in on their secondary paintings for now.

All too soon, there was one week of the holidays left. The trio spent the week packing their new trunks and crossing everything off on checklists. Hermione had made sure to brew plenty of antidotes for various loyalty potions and such; not for the trio, but for anyone else that they suspected was under the influence. Their Crowns and Lordship rings would keep them safe.

On the night before they were to leave for Hogwarts, everyone, including Neville and Augusta, gathered in what they had called the family observatory to do something very special- watch precious memories of when the children were babies. A pensieve had been placed in the room, marked with a projection rune. This would play the memory like a muggle movie, floating above the enchanted bowl. All of Harry's ancestors had passed on small memories of Harry before the attack. Harry was a happy baby, always laughing at some face that Sirius was pulling. There were various memories of Harry and Neville in a play pen crawling around while trying to chase Padfoot. There were others of Harry and Neville sitting on the back of Prongs, kept in place with a sticking charm. Prongs would trot around the garden with the infants, occasionally breaking into a light canter whenever Lily wasn't watching.

One full moon, shortly before the Potters had to go into hiding, Harry was throwing a rare tantrum. He hadn't learned many words by that point, but it was clear from his cries of "Mon's, Mon's", that Harry wanted his uncle Mooney. Lily, while trying to hand Harry off to Alice, was trying to tell Harry that he was only a baby, and that he couldn't help his uncle with his furry problem until he was older and had his own animagus form. It seemed that Harry was determined to prove his mother wrong, as he began making barking noises like a dog. Then he started making howling noises like he had heard Sirius make as Padfoot. To everyone's astonishment, Harry's face began to morph, becoming more and more canine. His mop of hair became more and more ruly, and his face starting growing pitch black hairs. His small baby canine teeth started to elongate slightly, and his ears started to sharpen at the tips. Mere moments later, Alice was holding a small, pitch black wolf pup with Harry's startling green eyes. Neville, in Alice's other arm was clapping and squealing with joy, babbling "Smar' Harry! Smar' Harry!". Lily and Alice were shocked; neither had ever heard of a case where a child had fully transfigured themselves. And Lily wasn't even sure if it was a case of ordinary transfiguration- the transformation seemed to be nearly identical to that of becoming an animagus form.

Lily was torn on what to do, but in the end decided it would be best to take Harry with her. She couldn't burden her best friend with this random turn of events. And so, Lily changed into her form of a larger than normal red fox, and picked up Harry by the scruff of his neck. Harry was quiet and didn't squirm at all, but Lily could sense that he wasn't afraid, but rather excited. She met her older boys in a clearing away from the Manor, where Remus was leaning against a rock, smiling as he watched Padfoot play dead rather pitifully.

Fully dosed on Wolfsbane, Remus felt no pain and felt fully in control of himself as his body began preparing for the change. While his friends didn't need to be in their animagus forms now because of the wolfsbane, it had become something that they all enjoyed because of the freedom that they felt as they ran around the forest. When Remus saw Lily prowl towards him with a small pup in her muzzle, he was confused. Lily put the pup on his lap, before turning back to her regular form. She told him how Harry had wanted to come, and had done everything using his magic that he could to make it happen. Padfoot and Prongs heard the whole things, and came over to investigate the small pup. After giving Harry a good sniff and licking, Padfoot settled down and put his head in his mate's lap, looking Harry right in the eye's. Harry gave a small yip, before wriggling off of Remus's lap to go for a little run around the clearing. An amazing feat considering that Harry hadn't learned how to walk yet.

And so, even after Remus had transformed, the night was spent fawning over the little black pup. Lily could see that the little pup was making Sirius a bit clucky. Everyone else witnessed it a moment later, as Sirius starting humping Mooney's elongated leg. Remus made a sound that sounded like a barking laugh, before pushing his mate off of his leg and beginning the first game of chase for the night. Harry tried to join in, but his little legs didn't get far before Lily had again picked him up by the scruff of his neck. The majestic fox settled down at the base of a tree with Harry firmly planted between her front paws, held down by her chin. Harry topped struggling, and started to doze off to the sounds of the forest around them.

Since so many of the memories of Neville were with Harry before the attacks, Augusta only had a few to add of just Neville. His first night at Longbottom Hall, Alice and Frank holding him and charming him to sleep. There was a beautiful memory of Neville cuddling a white puffskein with his chubby little hands as he slept. Neville's favourite one was where he was strapped to his father's chest while his father was flying a broom around the Hall's fields. Augusta had been watching from a balcony, so while Neville couldn't hear if his dad said anything, he could still see how loved he was.

Hermione's childhood had Augusta asking so many questions about the different toys that Muggles have. While there was very little magic in her younger years, Jean and Dan provided memories of some of her earliest outbursts of accidental magic, even if they didn't know what it was at the time. Apparently, Hermione was prone to refilling her little sippy cup when it was empty, making her parents think that the other had refilled it. While they were dentists, the Granger's also had a mean sweet tooth. That was until they realised that Hermione was somehow stealing sweets from the jar, but they could never catch her. One moment the sweet was in the jar, and next Hermione was licking a lollipop, or chewing on a gummy. The last memory the Granger's supplied was one that they warned wasn't happy, but curious. It was of a very small Hermione, who was only just starting to speak in sentences, waking up screaming on the night of Halloween, 1981. She was screaming a name. Harry. Dan and Jean had only just recently put together the significance of this event. They hadn't even met yet, but Harry and Hermione were already connected to a degree.

Before wandering off to their beds for the last time until the Yule holidays, Aunt Phyllida warned them that the Sorting Hat might be a bit of a pain to them during the Sorting ceremony, as the Hat would be aware of the Crowns and everything they entailed from the moment he touched their heads. She told them though that they had power over the Hat, and would be able to ensure that it didn't tell Dumbledore anything. While the old codger might try to charm the Hat to make it do his bidding, the Hat was loyal to the Founders, and could not betray them or their Heirs.

The trio had decided that they would all be sorted into Gryffindor again this time. Sure, it meant having to deal with Ron and Ginny more than they would like, but it was their home, regardless of what House they were the Heir to. And with some time and luck, they would have students in every House that could help keep an eye on the state of things.

Harry and Hermione bade farewell to Neville and Augusta, before turning in early for the night. They planned on getting to the train a bit early, to avoid the Weasley's and to start their plan of getting to know people again right away. Harry would miss his home, as that was what the Manor had quickly become to him. But most of all, he would miss his parents. While a communications mirror had been set up in the family observatory so that Harry could use his smaller handheld mirror to check up on them, it wasn't going to be quite the same.

It was going to be an interesting year, no doubt about it. Harry just hoped that it would make a difference to the future.


	11. Chapter 11- All Aboard

A/N Just when I think Winter time is finally starting to come to my part of the world, we get another burst of heat. All I want is a nice cool Easter season this year so I can knock some of my uni assignments out of the way without melting. Cool Saf equals happy Saf. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the "surprise" in this chapter, though some of you might guess what it is straight away.

Question of the chapter; How sentient do you think Hogwarts ( As in, the castle itself) is? I'm running on the theory that, like the Sorting hat, she ( I always imagine the castle is a she for some reason, like a mother looking after her children, the students) has a conscience, and somewhat has the ability to control her surroundings, to a degree. But that without the presence of the Hogwarts royalty, she can be controlled, like the Sorting Hat, by Dumbledore.

* * *

 **Chapter 11- All aboard.**

Harry never understood why the Weasley household was always manic on the 1st of September every year. They had weeks to prepare, it wasn't like the semester just popped up randomly. The Potter's and Granger's in stark contrast were incredibly prepared. All of the trunks and cages were taken down to the Floo Room the night before. All that was left was to have a hearty breakfast, pick up the trunks and get on the train.

Harry and Hermione's extended trunks had been filled with everything that could possibly need. Hermione had taken the time to set up a small library in her's, with magical copies of rare books she had found in the Potter library, including old copies of Hogwarts: A History. She hoped that if she showed the copies to enough of the teachers, that they may begin to question the changes that Dumbledore had made to the historic text. They also packed more than they could ever really need of essentials like parchment, quills, and ink since they wouldn't be able to go to Hogsmeade until third year. Finally, Harry had packed the new Nimbus 2000 that he had Neville buy for him. While first years weren't allowed their own broom, he wanted to have it just in case of an emergency. Hermione had had fun trying her hand at enchanting the broom with various protection spells, ensuring that someone wouldn't be able to jinx the broom. Harry had offered to get a Nimbus 2000 for Hermione as well, but she refused. Instead, she had packed the Cleansweep 6 that she had found in excellent condition in the Manor Quidditch shed. She preferred the way that it handled since she didn't need the speed of the Nimbus 2000.

The House Elves were tearful as they laid out breakfast that morning. They were sad that their young Master and Mistress would be leaving their care. They were glad that Dan and Jean would be staying at the Manor though, as it gave them living people to dote on. Orthello was proud of the young ones, and how determined they were. And so, as a treat, Harry and Hermione's favourite breakfast was prepared. Fresh, crispy Belgium waffles with bacon and Canadian maple syrup. Dan had once had the dish in America and introduced it to the pair a few weeks ago. They loved the combination of sweet and savory, and the fact that it was a filling breakfast that would get them through until lunch on the train.

Harry and Hermione were excited. They had found a note from Gabriel this morning, and it was exceedingly more cryptic than usual. It simply stated, 'There will be a surprise on the train for you. Be kind'. This was unusual from the archangel; usually, he just came out and said things as unconvoluted as possible, with no regard to the possible reactions. After years of half-truths from Dumbledore, Harry found it refreshing. He wondered what this mysterious surprise could be…

The pair had decided to meet Neville on the platform at 10 am, an hour before the train would depart. It gave them plenty of time to settle into a compartment of their own and get to know people all over again. Another thing that would be unlike previous years would be how they were getting to the train; by Floo. Initially, this had confused Harry when his parents mentioned it. The Weasleys had never used the Floo to get to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, instead always driving there like Muggles. But the more Harry thought about it, the more he realised how ludicrous this was. He had never seen any other Pure Blood, and even Half-Blood student arrive this way. No, only Muggle-Born students used this entrance, as it was the only entrance available to them. The Weasley's had used it initially as a way to establish contact with Harry, whom they knew from Dumbledore had no way of knowing how to get onto the platform. They continued using this method over the years to come as a way to keep up the farce so that Harry would never question it.

And so, at ten minutes to ten, the whole family gathered in the Floo room to send off the preteens. Harry and Hermione were both dressed in simple, yet well-made robes. It never ceased to amaze Harry how different he looked without his glasses, and was glad that he wouldn't need them ever again. Hermione had tamed both her and Harry's hair, and with a final adjustment of their robes announced that they looked like a classy young witch and wizard from a well-off family, but not flaunting their wealth by any means. It made them look extremely approachable to everyone.

"Ready kids?" Dan asked the pair. The first time he had to say goodbye to Hermione on the muggle side of the barrier, he was a little tearful. This time was no different, standing in front of the Floo. While he would have loved to see the train and help the kids get settled in, Muggles, even the parents of students, weren't allowed on the platform, despite having the ability to be lead through by a magical. At nods from Harry and Hermione, he and Jean wrapped them both in an embrace. "Send us an owl if you can't get enough privacy to use the communication mirrors to let us know how you've settled in," Jean said, wiping a small tear from the corner of her eye.

After they were let go, Harry and Hermione gathered up their trunks and put an irritated Hedwig and a playful Crookshanks into their carriers. Hedwig hated to be caged but calmed down when Harry promised to let her out and give her some treats once they were on the train. Hermione had been glad to see that the two familiars got along very well, just as they had in their original timeline.

Harry gathered a handful of Floo powder as they stood in the fireplace. With a call of "Platform Nine and Three-Quarters," and a flare of green fire, they were off. While Harry still hated the sensation of traveling by Floo, he was no longer an embarrassment at the other end. Augusta had spent days ensuring that Harry could confidently walk out the other end, and not land on his face like he used to. Once they were certain that they had reached the right fireplace, the pair stepped out onto a relatively quiet platform. There were only a few students milling about, and groups of parents gathered in groups catching up with one another. Hermione spotted Neville right away, standing nearby talking to two familiar girls.

"Harry, Hermione!" Neville called out when he saw them, in case they hadn't seen him. When they joined him, Neville formally introduced them to two of his childhood friends. "Harry, Hermione. This is Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones. Girls, this is Hermione Granger and my godbrother, Harry Potter."

Susan and Hannah were unsurprised by Harry. Augusta was great friends with Madam Bones and Lady Abbott, and while she hadn't told them many details, she had told them how Harry had managed to reconnect with her and Neville. But nothing about the time travel, which all of them had decided was best to never tell anyone that didn't absolutely need to know. And certainly, nothing had been said about the Lordships and the return of the Hogwarts Royalty.

After meeting the girls, Harry, Hermione and Neville headed towards the train, determined to try and get a compartment to themselves so that they could talk freely during the train trip. Unsurprisingly, since they were so early, they found various empty compartments. Settling into one, Neville told them that Draco Malfoy and his thugs, Vincent Crabbe Jr and Gregory Goyle Jr were already on the platform, and were acting strangely. Draco had apparently been yelling at Crab and Goyle, telling them to stop following him like lost puppies. Harry and Hermione were surprised. Hermione didn't remember there being any conflict between the trio in the original timeline. So what had changed now?

Shortly after they had closed the door to their compartment, there came a small knock. Harry turned and looked, and saw the striking blond hair of Draco Malfoy. Confused, Harry pulled the door open. "Yes?," He asked, trying to sound calm as he met his schoolyard nemesis for the first time in this timeline. " Can I help you?"

Draco spoke softly, something Harry had never heard in the original timeline. "Potter. Please be kind. Can we talk?" Draco nodded inwards to the compartment, indicating that he wanted to talk to all of them. Confused as to how Draco was so certain of who he was, Harry let the boy into the compartment, closing the door behind them.

Draco took out his wand, causing the other three in the compartment to jump towards their own. He put his hands up, indicating that he meant no harm, before casting a Muffliato charm - a spell that he shouldn't even know, let alone be able to perform. This enough peeked interests in the small room.

"It's good to see you alive Potter," Draco said genuinely, causing three sets of eyebrows to raise very high in disbelief. Draco chuckled, "Probably not the surprise you were hoping for right? Bloody archangel thought it would be a nice little prank to keep you all in the dark."

"Gabriel?", Harry asked, feeling a headache coming on. "How… Malfoy, did you die?" Draco nodded. "So why did you get sent back?" Harry was very curious. They had hoped to try and reform Draco from the ground up before he became involved with the Death Eaters. But now it might be too late.

"Well Potter, Snape wasn't the only agent of the light in the ranks of the Death Eaters. If you could even call me an agent." Draco began, scratching his left forearm as though remembering the pain the dark mark had caused. "I never wanted to join 'The Noble Cause', as my father called it. But I, like many before me, was forced into it. It was either that or be killed. When my assignment was to kill Dumbledore, I told Snape about it. He was my Godfather, and I had hoped that he would help me botch it and maybe help me escape. It took awhile, but after he had been forced to make the Unbreakable Vow to my mother, he told me that he was a double agent. And that the Dark Lord believed that he was a triple agent. When Snape killed Dumbledore under Dumbledore's own orders, he expertly modified the memories of Bellatrix and the other Death Eater's so that they would believe that I had done it, to save me from punishment. That summer was fucking miserable. The Dark Lord decided that he was going to live in my families manor and direct the so-called war effort from there. Can you imagine living in the same house as evil incarnate? Initially, I wasn't supposed to return to school last year, but Snape made up some excuse about using me to keep an eye on the students from the inside. Bloody glad that he did too, I couldn't stand living around so much death much longer. Professor Burbage was killed right in front of me, and none of us were allowed to leave until that ruddy snake had swallowed every last bit of her. So back at Hogwarts, I'm Snape's inside man. Except I was there to protect the students. I would help keep the Carrow's away from as many students as I could, directing some of the lost cases's to the Room of Requirement, where I knew Longbottom had set up a refuge."

Neville nodded and told Harry and Hermione that students had sometimes turned up at random times, telling him that a shadowy figure had told them where to go. Neville was never certain of who it was, but he had suspected that it might have been Draco. Neville himself had seen the shadowy figure a few times, and vaguely recognised Draco's voice.

"I did everything that I could without getting myself killed," Draco said sadly. "I just hoped that I was making a difference, atoning for my past childish actions. The only person that knew was Snape. He never even told Dumbledore's painting, he didn't trust the old man for some reason. Yule time came around and none of the students were allowed to go home for the holidays. Snape used that as an excuse to keep me at the school, as the students had attempted a rebellion. Again, I did what I could. Months of the same went by, until the Easter holidays. The students at Hogwarts had been beaten so much, both physically and mentally. They had lost their will to fight back. And with that, Snape couldn't find a reason to keep me at the school for the holiday. I guess it was fortunate that he couldn't in a way. Otherwise, there would have been deaths in the manor that day when you all turned up."

Harry and Hermione were speechless. It seemed that the cruel boy that they knew had disappeared, replaced with someone that was deeply regretful for their actions. Hermione had found an interesting feature of their Hogwarts Crown's over the holidays; the Crown would tell them if they were being lied to or deceived. The Crown had first made this feature known when James had started to over embellish an old story of his youth, and lied about how close he had come to catching a snitch in a Quidditch game. Turns out he wasn't close at all, as he was distracted by the sight of someone flirting with Lily in the stands. So they knew that Draco had to be telling the truth about everything that he had said. Hermione frowned though. She couldn't tell how Draco could have saved them. It had been Dobby and Aberforth, or so she thought. When she voiced this, Draco rapidly hushed her before she could say the elves name.

"Sorry, just… Don't say his name. Even mentioning his name is enough to get him to show up. It will be worse now that I freed him this morning," Draco said, smirking at the looks of surprise on the faces of his companions. " I took a page out of your book Potter. Hid a sock in something that I knew father would pass to him. Took him an hour to realise what had happened, but from what I know, father has no idea yet, and it would be pretty damn hard to link it back to me. But with what happened in the past, Aberforth couldn't have sent him. Because an elf not bonded to the family can't apparate into a house as warded as mine without being invited. And I'm the one that called for… fuck nearly said it. For the elf to free you all."

Hermione's mouth dropped. How had she not realised this sooner? She had spent days examining the wards on Potter Manor, and had found that same feature. It was a common feature in all magical households, as it stopped an elf being used to steal from another family. For some reason, that same protection was never placed on Privet Drive. And Dobby had been able to take them to Shell Cottage because Ron was related to the owners.

Neville, curious about how Draco had died, asked the boy what had happened to him, and why he had been sent back. Draco explained how after Voldemort had bought Harry's body up the castle, his parents whisked him away in the chaos that erupted after Hagrid accidentally dropped Harry's body. His parents were broken at that point, the true horrors of their actions finally starting to sink in. Lucius had wanted to try and escape to America and seek refuge from MACUSA. Everything seemed to be going well until their boat hit the British border. Suddenly, they were forcefully portkeyed to Voldemort's location. It was a safety that Voldemort built into the Dark Mark, ensuring that none of his followers could escape him. Voldemort was furious, and tortured them for hours, blaming them for the death of Bellatrix. And then he offered Lucius a deal. If he killed his wife and son, then Voldemort would forgive him. And so, Draco died by the hand of his own father, but not before he watched his mother being killed without hesitation.

After he died, he found himself in the same situation that the others had. Faced with the archangel Gabriel, Draco learned that by a stroke of luck, he had been linked to Harry in the most unusual way. A life debt. By calling Dobby, Draco had saved the lives of Harry, Hermione, and Ron. While it wasn't considered to be a huge deal in modern magical society, the old magics still recognised the deed as something that needed to be repaid. Despite Harry saving Draco from burning to death in the Room of Requirement, the bond lingered because of Hermione. And so, Draco was given a choice. At the time of his death, the timeline hadn't collapsed, and so he could either go back and help to change history, or he could move on. Draco chose to stay. Gabriel didn't tell him much more, saying that it was up to Harry to fill Draco in. The archangel explained that he didn't have anything against Draco, quite the opposite. He just didn't feel that is was his place to tell Draco Harry's life story. All he told Draco was to not trust what he had heard from anyone else, and to only trust Harry, Hermione, and later on Neville.

By the time Draco had finished telling his story, the platform and train had started to get busier. Realising that the train was filling up, Draco asked his stunned companions if he would be able to travel with them. After a second, Harry nodded. Draco gave a small smile, before walking out to grab his things from a nearby compartment. As he closed the door behind him, the remaining residents all let out a deep breath.

"Fuck me," Harry murmured. "I wasn't expecting that at all."

Neville and Hermione nodded in agreement, just as shocked as Harry.

"Do we trust him?" Hermione asked, already knowing the answer. Gabriel wouldn't have let Draco come back if he couldn't be trusted. And so far, Gabriel hadn't led them astray. Harry and Neville nodded. Hermione pondering, airing her thoughts out loud. "How much do we tell him?"

"Everything," Harry said almost immediately. "It's all or nothing. We can't risk telling him only bit's and pieces in case he changes something that shouldn't be changed, just because he thought he was doing the right thing. I think it would destroy him to screw something for the future up. So everything. The events of the original timeline, Dumbledore's meddlings, the Crowns, the Soul Bond. Even our own individual stories, to see if there's any insight he can gain from it all. It's an eight-hour train trip, so it's not like we don't have the time. We just need to keep an eye out for other students that might come knocking during the trip."

Hermione and Neville agreed, and Hermione began pulling out her action plan from a small satchel she had brought with her. Shortly after, Draco returned with his things, including a familiar that Harry had never seen before. It was a small white ferret, and it seemed to be very attached to Draco. Draco saw the curious looks at the animal, and gave a chuckle, explaining how he had felt a bond to the ironic ferret. In the original timeline, his father had not allowed him to get the creature. So this time he took his mother with him instead. Narcissa had loved the little white ball of fur and had actually insisted that Draco get her. Draco put the carrier next to the carrier of Crookshanks, where the two furballs became fast friends. The ferret's name was Odessa, a name that Draco had felt was perfect, since the ferret was full of vengeance and wrath when her fur was messed up.

Before Draco could sit down next to Neville, Harry stood up and stood in front of the pale boy, holding his hand out. "Might as well make a fresh start yeah?" Harry said, smiling. "Hi, I'm Harry, nice to meet you."

Draco smiled back, grasping Harry's hand. "Hi Harry, I'm Draco. It's a pleasure to meet you and your friends." Once the shake was over, both boys settling into seats opposite each other.

The fifteen-minute warning bell sounded, and none of the members of the compartment were surprised to see that the Weasley's still hadn't arrived. From Harry's memory, they would arrive in about five minutes.

Draco was curious at the animosity he felt at the mention of the Weasley's, particularly Ron. Hermione told him all about the love potions and loyalty charms, about how they had constantly been drugged by the family and lied to. They knew that Molly, Ron, and Ginny were involved, but were uncertain about the rest of the family. But for now, it was best to be cautious. Draco was furious when he heard. While he didn't yet know about all of the other Lordships, he knew that Harry was the Heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter. He told them how the actions of the Weasleys were highly illegal, as they were tantamount to line theft, one of the most heinous crimes that could be committed against the last heir of a family.

Just as Draco finished talking, there was the ring of the final warning bell. Five minutes before departure. All of the remaining students on the platform began to pile onto the train, and there was still no sign of the Weasleys. Harry nearly laughed, "I think the Weasley's are still on the Muggle side of the platform trying to find me. How funny would it be if they ended up missing the train? I wonder how they would explain it to Dumbledore? I mean, I can always just say that I got to the platform early and that Hagrid told me how to get to the magical side. But for an all magical family with access to the Floo to be late? I'd imagine that must be rather shameful."

Harry let an irritated Hedwig out of her cage, giving her a few treats before opening the window. He told her to keep close to the train in case he needed her for something. Neville announced that he hadn't bought the toad Trevor this time around, opting for a small tawny owl that he named Artemis. Somehow, Hedwig rapidly found Artemis, and the two perched next to each other on a signpost, waiting for the train to depart.

Just then, with two minutes left until the train pulled out, the Weasley's suddenly appeared, the twins yelling at their mother for nearly making them late. Ron seemed to be looking all around the platform like he was looking out for Harry. Percy was running to the front end of the train, not wanting to be late for his first Prefect meeting. The last of their trunks only just made it on the train before the train began pulling out of the station. It seemed that Ginny was crying, but not for her brothers. She was wailing loudly that she didn't get to see Harry.

"What a nutcase," Hermione muttered under her breath. "Right Harry, can I change the colour of your hair for the train trip? So that Ron doesn't try to come barging in to 'make friends' with you?"

Harry nearly agreed, before he had an idea. "Nah, there's already four of us in the compartment, and if we put Crookshanks and Odessa on the seats as well there won't be any room for him to try to sit down. And if we just keep talking, it would be rather rude of him to just barge in uninvited. So either he does and makes himself look like an idiot, or he doesn't and we don't have to deal with him."

Draco gave a cruel smile, "I'm impressed Harry. That's a very Slytherin plan."

Harry said with as straight as a face as he could, "Well I'd hope so. I am your lord and prince." Harry felt a level of satisfaction at the look of utter confusion on the pale boy's face. "You see Draco, one of the things that we learned fairly early on after being sent back is that Neville, Hermione and I are the heirs of a few houses. And I have to say, it's quite an impressive list."

It was Draco's turn to be shocked as he was told about all of the uncovered lordships and the return of the Hogwarts royalty. While they didn't show him the crowns yet, as other students could see into the compartment, they did give him a flash of their lordship rings before hiding them away again. Harry explained to Draco the situation with Sirius, and how Draco could help to get him out of Azkaban. Draco was more than happy to do so, and would send his father a letter in the morning complaining about how he wanted to have his other lordship ring, starting the chain of events.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Harry saw Ron walked past their compartment after briefly looking in. It was obvious that the redhead hadn't recognised Harry from the description he probably had. Ron would have been looking for a scraggly boy with messy hair, second-hand clothing, glasses and his old trademark scar. Whereas now, Harry had none of those things, and his robes hid how malnourished he still was. He had a feeling that Ron would broaden his search after the first sweep of the train though, questioning any younger student with black hair. Harry was unconcerned though; let the idiot come.

The food trolley came around, and the children all stocked up on their favourite bits and pieces; treacle tart for Harry, sugar quills for Hermione, chocolate frogs for Neville and caramel dragon claws for Draco. They also bought some of the more filling and less sweet pumpkin pasties to share around. Ice cold pumpkin juice poured freely in the compartment, ensuring they didn't hurt their throats from the amount of talking they would be doing throughout the trip.

Hermione was about to start telling Draco all about the Horcruxes when Ron made his second round, rudely bursting into the compartment just as they predicted. "Has anyone seen Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out rudely. "I was supposed to meet him on the platform."

"No, I can't say I have seen him on the train," Harry responded coolly. And to a degree, it was true. Harry hadn't seen himself on the train yet, because he was yet to look at his own reflection. "Now could you please leave? We were having a lovely conversation before you rudely burst in, uninvited might I add."

Ron's ears turned a bright pink, before he turned and walked out of the compartment without so much as an apology. The stupid git hadn't even bothered to look up at the initials on their trunks, where he would clearly see Harry's and then put two and two together. Hermione doubted it though; the only real smarts Ron had was chess.

They all had a feeling that Ron might attempt a third and hopefully final pass, so they kept the conversation light, talking about their holidays. Harry told Draco about how they found his manor, and the portraits of his parents. Neville and Hermione had taken to flying wonderfully this time, and both had come to enjoy playing Quidditch on the Manor's pitch. Draco was interested in the four of them flying together, and having a seeker's match against Harry. They were talking about all of the downsides of the Nimbus 2001 that Draco had discovered when Ron made his third pass, accompanied by a pompous Percy.

Percy knocked on the door, before opening it himself. "I'm looking for Harry Potter, Hogwarts business. Have you seen him?" Percy asked in his commanding prefect tone. His eyes scanned the compartment, landing on Harry's trunk above the seat. Without saying anything, his eyes traveled back to Harry with an expectant look.

Harry spoke up, eager to get back to his previous conversation. " That would be me," Harry said, using a confident tone and stance that seemed to throw Percy off. "What sort of Hogwarts business do you need to discuss with me of all people? I haven't even seen the school yet."

It was obvious that Percy didn't like his authority being questioned by a first year. "You were supposed to meet with me and my family on the Muggle side of the platform before the train departed. Because of your inability to follow an instruction, my siblings and I nearly missed the train."

Liar, the Crown of Hogwarts chirped in his mind. Harry feigned surprise. "Really? Well, that's odd. Mr. Hagrid never mentioned anything about meeting anyone. I got to the station at 10 am to be early, but couldn't work out how to get onto the platform. It seems to be another thing that Mr. Hagrid forgot to tell me. Thankfully I met the lovely Miss Granger here who comes from a muggle family. She saw my owl and trunk and asked if I was traveling to a 'Special School for Gifted Children'. Thankfully I recognised her discreet way of talking about Hogwarts. A Professor McGonagall had told her how to get through the barrier, so we went through together. Wonderful bit of magic isn't it?" Harry could see Percy turning a light shade of red when he realised that Harry wasn't going to apologize for making them nearly miss the train.

Percy pulled Ron forward, almost pushing the boy into the compartment. "This is my brother Ron. He is to be your companion for the rest of the trip," And without another word, Percy marched away.

Ron stood awkwardly in the door of the compartment, looking for room to sit. But there was none. Hermione smiled, but not kindly. She was looking forward to antagonising the boy. "You have some dirt on your nose, did you know?" She said in an almost sickly sweet voice. "Right there," Indicating with her finger where the patch of dirt was. Ron's ears went red while he rubbed at the spot, only succeeding in smudging the patch even more.

Neville could see that a game was starting, and used a line that he had heard Draco use in the past. "Red hair, hand-me-down clothes. You must be a Weasley." While it didn't have the same tone of despise that Draco had used those many years ago, it was in a sense worse. Because Neville looked and sounded bored, like there were so many better things he could be doing with his time.

Draco simply chose to ignore the boy, looking towards Hermione and asking her if he could have one of her sugar quills. Draco's smirked when he heard the huff of annoyance from Ron.

Finally, Harry looked at the boy and almost laughed at the look of hope on the boy's face. "Sorry, what was your name again? Well, I guess it doesn't really matter anyway. Seems your brother didn't realise that there isn't any room in this compartment for you."

This seemed to be a breaking point for Ron. "Doesn't matter, you're coming to sit with me Harry," Ron almost yelled, moving towards Harry and grabbing the raven-haired boys arm. Harry immediately pulled his arm back, stood up and looked Ron right in the eyes.

"Don't you ever touch me again," Harry seethed, his eyes flashing a deadly green. "I don't know who you are, but I'm not going anywhere with you. If you have an issue with that, I suggest that you go and get the Professor onboard to sort it out. And I doubt that they will do anything. Now leave."

Ron had gone from red to white as soon as Harry had started talking. Without another word. Ron turned and quickly left the compartment. Harry let out a sigh of relief and closed the compartment door. "Well, I think that went as well as we all thought it would"

"How many similar incidents do you think we will have to endure over the years before Ron and Ginny finally back off?" Hermione mused, already knowing the answer. The pair and their mother would never stop, not while Dumbledore was still encouraging them.

The rest of the train trip was relatively peaceful. It took a while and many questions, but they finally told everything that had happened to them, and everything that they had learned to Draco, who was stunned. By the end of schooling in the original timeline, Draco had started to realise that Harry's living conditions with the muggles can't have been as good as some believed. After a summer of abuse himself, Draco had started to see the same signs in Harry at the beginning of sixth year. Regardless, he was horrified to hear the extent of the abuse.

"Harry, if you don't mind me asking… how did you not accidentally kill the bastards?" Draco asked. He had heard cases before of magical children killing abusive caretakers with accidental magic before. The magical core would simply explode in an effort to protect its physical body, eliminating a deadly threat. Hermione had theorised that it can something to do with Harry's suppressed core. If his core had tried to defend itself while still bound, it could have killed Harry himself.

The sky was starting to get dark, and one by one the companions left to change into their Hogwarts robes. Draco was trying to work out where he might get sorted this time around, though he suspected that it would still be Slytherin. He didn't mind though- it would give the group a set of eyes in the troublesome house. And it wouldn't be hard to justify his friendship to the Gryffindors to other Slytherins- they would respect that Draco was making connections with 'The Boy Who Lived', and would see it as a political move.

Finally, the train began to slow down, and the twinkling lights of Hogsmeade station began to come into view. The group, which had started to feel drowsy from the lull and movement of the train, was re-energised at the thought of the sorting feast and seeing the magnificent castle once again. Hedwig and Artemis returned to the compartment, begrudgingly allowing Harry and Neville to cage them. Odessa and Crookshanks had fallen asleep, and didn't stir as they were returned to their cages. Gathering their belongings, they exited the compartment. The train corridor was starting to thrum with activity, and they were glad they started making their way to the exit when they did.

Harry almost immediately saw the large presence of Hagrid waiting on the platform. The friendly giant saw Harry and gave a wave, before calling out for all the first years to gather around him. Dropping their belongings at the pickup point, the group approached Hagrid, excited to ride in the boats again.

"How are ye, Harry?" Hagrid asked with a smile. Gabriel's memory tampering had worked perfectly it seemed, as Hagrid even remembered Harry's new appearance and lack of glasses.

"Starving," Harry replied, just as his stomach grumbled. Everyone agreed; While the pumpkin pasties had helped to tide them over, they were in need of a proper meal.

"In for a treat ye's are. Hogwarts feasts are always the best. Lots of food and mead for the staff." Hagrid had said with a grin. Harry remembered how jubious Hagrid had been during his first sorting all those years ago. The mead had obviously played a part in the festivities for the half-giant.

Once the platform began to clear a bit, Hagrid ensured that he had all of his first years gathered before leading them down to the boats. Harry could hear Ron somewhere behind them saying loudly that he was going to be in a boat with the Harry Potter. At hearing this, the group bunched together a little bit more, determined to keep Ron out of their boat. Clambering into the first empty boat they could find, they settled in, waiting for the next outburst from Ron. They saw the redhead begin to run to their boat, before Hagrid yelled out at him. "Oi! Four first years to a boat. No more. Don't want ye's falling out the sides." Ron gave a scowl, before stomping off to another boat. It looked like Seamus Finnigan and Blaise Zabini were going to be stuck with his incessant whining.

"Right. All settled?" Hagrid bellowed. When he saw that everyone was seated, he pointed his umbrella towards the castle before shouting, "Forward!" The boats smoothly left the dock, gliding across the crystal-like lake.

After a minute of gliding through the dark, seeing nothing but each other's faces in the soft glow of the boat lantern, Hagrid yelled out that they would be getting their first look of the castle in a moment. It didn't matter how many times Harry saw the castle, it would always take his breath away. But this time was different, more euphoric. At his very first glimpse, a warm sensation enveloped him, akin to a hug. Then, he heard a faint voice in his head.

"Welcome home my children."


	12. Chapter 12- The Children of Hogwarts

A/N Long time no see huh? The last year has been crazy busy for me. But now I have time to write again! And thanks to my detailed notes, it was pretty easy for me to pick up writing this again. Enjoy!

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Chapter **12- The Children of Hogwarts**

"Harry. Neville. Did you just-" Hermione gasped as she heard a voice in her mind. Harry and Neville both nodded, looking wide eyed up at the castle.

"What happened?" Draco asked. He hadn't heard a thing.

"I think Hogwarts just spoke to us," Neville squeaked, in awe of the power he could feel. It was immense, but there seemed to be no human aspect to it.

"The castle is sentient," Harry whispered to them. "I never felt this the first time around, so it must have something to do with the crowns. But we can feel her, like a hum in the back of our minds. Right now she's happy, her children are home. It's odd, I can tell that she knows the Heirs have returned, yet this love we feel from her isn't directed at us in any way; it's shared equally among every student, both current and new. It's limitless, she would die to protect us, but she is bound. Dumbledore."

Hermione understood Harry's rambling. It was such an intense feeling, it was difficult to articulate. The magic she felt was ancient, fuelled by the deep ley lines of the land and the residual magic of generations of spellwork. And the feeling only intensified as they grew nearer and nearer to the castle. Any moment now they would hit the shore…

With a soft thud, their little boat came to a stop at a little rocky pier. The feeling of awe and power had become almost overwhelming. But just when Harry thought he couldn't even stand under the weight of it, there was a good natured chuckle in his mind, and the sensation all but disappeared.

"I am sorry my little ones, it has been a long time since I have had to shield my power from the human mind. Welcome back, my Heirs. We will make things right this time," Hogwarts whispered in their minds. Hermione was telling Draco what was happening softly, as to not attract the attention of Ron, whom had rapidly moved to be as close to Harry in the throng of students as he could be.

"Gabriel?" Draco asked Hermione, assuming the angel had somehow talked to the castle.

Hermione shook her head. "She is in our minds. Through her link with the crowns, she knows everything that we know. And to some extent, we know some things about the castle itself. But so that it doesn't overwhelm our minds, it is being trickled to us as we need it. Which is, ironically, all we really know so far."

Hagrid had lead them up the steps at this point, stopping in front of the large oak front door. Checking that he had all of his charges, he knocked three times. Professor McGonagall opened the door immediately, looking much younger than when Harry last saw her. The threat of war had aged his Head of House drastically in the original timeline, making her look even harsher than she actually was. While he had thought that she had looked rather stern the first time he had seen her, he could now see the small contained smile that she had when she was excited.

"The first years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said, just as he had in the original timeline. If all went well, there shouldn't be too many differences from the original timeline tonight.

Just as before, Professor McGonagall thanked Hagrid, before leading the first years through the entry hall and into the antechamber near the Great Hall, before giving her speech about the Sorting Ceremony. This time, Harry heard Ron give a huff of disgust when Slytherin was mentioned.

Professor McGonagall left for a few moments to announce that the first years had arrived. While they were waiting, Harry heard Ron regaling Seamus with tales of how the sorting ceremony went, according to Fred. This simply caused the rest of the students to become even more nervous. Harry nearly laughed, remembering the shock that they would be in for when the ghosts would come floating through. And right on schedule, they did just so. Harry smiled as he heard them arguing amongst themselves before noticing the students.

After a few more moments, Professor McGonagall returned, hurrying the ghosts along. Once the first years had formed a line, she lead them through the double doors into the Great Hall. He heard the gasps of the other first years, and feigned surprise as best as he could. Hermione, Neville, and Draco were doing the same. Once they were lined up in front of the rest of the school, Harry stood proudly and looked out at the students, rather than staring at the ceiling like he had last time.

The Sorting Hat was placed on his stool in front of them, and began his yearly song, exactly the same one as the original timeline. One by one, in alphabetical order, the first years were called to be sorted. Hannah and Susan both went to Hufflepuff as before, and so on until Hermione was called out.

Hermione calmly walked forward and allowed the hat to be placed on her head. It was though her invisible crown didn't exist. But something was different this time. Very different. Immediately, the Sorting Hat gasped in her mind, but thankfully remained unchanged in appearance.

"No!" She heard Hogwarts yell. "You will not ruin this girl, Hat!" and with what she could only describe as a swift mental struggle, Hogwarts dueled with the Hat. The Hat was screaming that he couldn't control himself, that Dumbledore had bewitched it. With a huff of annoyance, Hogwarts appeared to change her strategy. Within moments the Hat had calmed itself, Dumbledore's power over it broken. All within a second.

"My apologies your Highness," The Sorting Hat said in her mind. "Dumbledore has had me under his control for many years, putting certain students where he sees fit. But no more. While you are the Heir to Ravenclaw, it is not where you truly belong. You have the heart of a lioness, and so that is where you belong. Fear not Princess. Dumbledore will not know of your secrets." Out loud, the Sorting Hat called out Gryffindor, and Hermione went to sit at her old House. When she sat down, Hermione gave a meaningful look at her friends, but it wasn't necessary. Hogwarts explained the situation to Harry and Neville. There wasn't a way to tell Draco about it just yet, so they would tell him what had occurred later

Harry and Neville once again heard the groan of annoyance come from Ron. After a few minutes, Neville was called out to be sorted.

"Ah yes, another Heir. And another heart of a lion. Tell me little one, do you want to be sorted into Gryffindor? For this is where Dumbledore wants to put you." The Sorting Hat mentally asked Neville. Neville was certain that he wanted to be in Gryffindor, and the Hat called out so. Neville sat across from Hermione, before looking back to watch the rest of the sorting.

Within moments it was Draco's turn to be sorted. The blond haired boy was curious to see where he would go.

"A friend of the Heir's I see. Their secret is safe with me," The Hat quickly stated when he felt Draco's surprise. "Young man, you are very difficult to place, for you have many qualities befitting all of the House's… but I sense that it is Slytherin where you are needed." And so, Draco was once again placed into his original House to the cheers of his old Housemates.

Despite the Sorting Hat being freed, the Sorting ceremony was going just as it had before. Harry suspected that this was because Dumbledore didn't have plans for every student, and the only one so far that he could have influenced in the original timeline was Neville, and potentially Draco.

"Potter, Harry." Professor McGonagall finally called out. A hush washed over the Great Hall, before the muttering began. Harry? The Harry Potter?

Ignoring the whispers, Harry confidently walked forward to the stool. As the Hat was placed on his head, he heard the Hat chuckle. " My my Mister Potter, I've never seen a first year command so much respect before he has even been sorted. The Heir to both Gryffindor and Slytherin. And yet again, Gryffindor is where you belong… How curious. I'm sure the castle will fill me in on the details when she is finished fortifying my mind. But for now…".

"Gryffindor!" The hall erupted as it did before, with the same cat calls from Fred and George. Harry sat down next to Hermione, shaking hands with those around him. He saw Dumbledore raise his glass to him, and gave nothing in response.

The rest of the sorting ceremony went on, until there were only a few students left. Ron was the second to last student to be sorted, before Blaise Zabini.

As the red haired boy had the Sorting Hat placed on his head, Harry could tell that something was different. Ron started going pale, and shook his head in denial once. Quicker than his original sorting, the Hat called out his House.

"Slytherin!"

Ron seemed to be in shock. He hadn't moved from his seat, and appeared to be on the verge of tears. After a moment, one of the Slytherin Prefects moved to drag Ron to his table. Draco was trying his hardest not to laugh, and made sure that there was at least one other Slytherin first year between him and Ron. He needn't worry though; Ron was silent during the entire feast, barely touching the feast in front of him.

Harry, Hermione, and Neville shared an amused look. It seemed that Ron was finally where he deserved to be. At least they wouldn't have to deal with him in the dorms anymore. And maybe the Slytherin upperclassman would knock some sense into the blithering idiot.

"Wait till mum hears about this" one of the Weasley twins, Fred, Hermione thought, was saying to his friends. "I'd pay a good galleon to see her lose her shit over it," George continued. Rather than being upset at their brothers sorting, the twins seemed elated, like it was the greatest prank they had seen all year. Percy had a small frown on his face, but didn't say a word about the situation.

Dumbledore stood up and said his piece, saying his random words of the year. "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" But this time, Harry didn't laugh. Everything Dumbledore did had some sort of meaning, he had come to learn. Everything was deliberate. So what was the point of these words? And as before, they were warned about the corridor that was out of bounds.

Harry enjoyed the feast as much as he had the first time he experienced it. There was always something special about the Sorting feast, with the excitement of the first years fuelling the atmosphere. He could hear a low humming in the back of his mind. Hogwarts was content, elated with her newest additions.

Professor Quirrell sat at the teachers table, with no indication that a part of Voldemort's soul had taken up residence on the back of his head. Harry wasn't concerned with the man yet. There was nothing they could do until he had the cloak of invisibility back. And in the meantime, the part of Voldemort's soul was too weak to be able to do any harm to anyone. It felt odd knowing that they were all that close to the darkest wizard of their time however.

Nearly Headless Nick sighed loudly after awhile, the mounds of food making him envious. "Oh how I do wish I could taste real food again," the would be huntsman exclaimed.

"What was your favourite meal in life Sir Nicholas?" Hermione asked, making sure to use his proper title.

"A well cooked side of beef, with lots of gravy and bread. Not the most elegant of dishes mind you, but it warmed my soul. And who are you young lady? I do so love it when students use my name properly." Sir Nicholas smiled as he spoke to Hermione.

"Hermione Granger, pleased to make your acquaintance good Sir" Hermione replied, slightly bowing in her seat. She had gotten along with the ghost in the original timeline, and having a ghost on their side was a very good connection to have.

All too soon, the feast was over. Dumbledore rose from his throne like chair, tapping on his glass. After wishing his students a good year and a peaceful sleep, he bid the prefects to rise and stay behind as the rest of the upperclassman left the hall for their dorms. Harry could see that Ron was nearly in tears as he joined the likes of Crabbe and Goyle, Pansy Parkinson and Theodore Nott.

Percy led the first year Gryffindors on the same route as the original timeline, sticking to the same speech that he had obviously been practicing. Once they made it to the Gryffindor common rooms, Harry and Neville said their goodnights to Hermione. It was strange to all of them to be back in such a familiar place after seeing it all be destroyed by war. However, with a bit of a mental lullaby from Hogwarts, they all slept very well that night.


	13. Chapter 13- A Most Productive Day

A/N This chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but that's because there is some very detailed work coming in the next few chapter. Who else is excited for the return of Sirius? Because honestly, I can't wait to write him. His attitude and behaviours overall remind me of Gabriel, but raw, and certainly darker after Azkaban.

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Chapter 13- A Most Productive Day

The beginning of the term went as smoothly as possible. The next morning, a Wednesday, saw everyone back in the Great Hall for their first breakfast back at school. This was the only breakfast of the entire year where students were required to sit at their house tables, in order to receive their class schedules for the year. This however did not seem to stop a downtrodden, yet still stubborn Ron from sitting at the Gryffindor table. Hermione had anticipated this, and had taken a seat next to Harry, with Neville on his other side. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil had sat across from them, unaware that they had perfectly blocked Ron from sitting anywhere near Harry. So, Ron had sat near his siblings, complaining about what an awful night he had had. It seemed that Snape had honed in on the boy very quickly, bunking him down with Crabbe and Goyle. Harry supposed that was a good thing for Draco at least, not having to deal with any of those three.

Breakfast was pleasant. Lavender and Parvati were yet to discover their passion for gossip, and so the two girls were more than happy to simply enthuse about the upcoming year with Harry, Hermione and Neville. Dumbledore was missing from breakfast, a change in the timeline. Percy had no doubt managed to let the Weasley matriarch know that Ron had been sorted into Slytherin, so it was possible that the Headmaster was dealing with the fallout that was likely occurring, and potentially inspecting the Sorting Hat.

All too soon, Professor McGonagall announced that the schedules were about to be passed out. All was good until Harry noticed that Snape was marching towards the Gryffindor table in a billow of black robes. Attempting to stifle their amusement, the Gryffindor trio sat silently as Snape stood behind a clueless Ron.

"Mister Weasley," the potions master practically purred in contempt. "It appears that you are lost. 10 points from Gryffindor."

This made Hermione bristle, but she didn't want to agitate the man before classes had even begun. Thankfully Professor McGonagall was in earshot.

"Severus! Need I remind you that the young Mister Weasley is not a Gryffindor, but a member of your own House?" She said with a disappointed tone.

Snape scowled at that, a mild twitching visible on his temple. "Fine, I reverse my points."

Hermione could see that the words seemed to almost physically pain the potions master. "Bewitched," She heard in her mind. "They're all bewitched in some way or another," Hogwarts whispered sadly. Hermione could see that Harry and Neville had also heard the castle. It was shocking, to say the least, but not entirely unexpected.

After receiving their schedules, the Gryffindors met Draco nearby the castle doors, and walked down to Black Lake. They didn't have classes until tomorrow, so they wanted to spend the day planning and relaxing while they could. Making sure that no one was around to see her performing magic she shouldn't know yet, Hermione transfigured several leaves into a picnic blanket and some large cushions.

Draco wasn't all surprised that Snape was bewitched. "In the entire time that I've known the man, I've never witnessed him take away points from Slytherin, and obviously his vendetta against Gryffindor is well known. The fact that Weasley has been sorted into his House is probably confusing whatever charm is on him, sending conflicting messages about penalising all Weasleys since Dumbledore intended for them to all be in Gryffindor. But the spell seems to prevent him from penalising his own House. Mind you, Slytherins still get detentions from him, but never points taken away. Dumbledore will probably have to adjust the spell in some way to keep everyone happy. If Snape gives Weasley too many detentions, then his mother will complain. But if he gives too little, it will put stress on the spell.

A silence came over the group as they all contemplated the bewitching of their teachers, and how it could be affecting all of them. Some were obvious, like Snape. Others would be subtle. "Like Madam Hooch leaving the first years alone when Neville hurt himself in the original timeline. And, no offense Neville, but you were a terrible flier the first time around. But that broom… something wasn't right with it at all. In fact, thinking back on it with what we know, I think it was bewitched. That whole incident really cemented the rivalry between Harry and Draco, and landed Harry his seeker position. What were the odds that Professor McGonagall would see the incident, and rather than punish Harry like she should have, reward him with a seeker position based on nothing but one catch? It's unheard of," Hermione supplied, clearly intrigued by the invisible web of lies that was appearing before them.

Draco had already written a letter for his father, asking about the House of Black Lordship ring. In fact, he had set up a conversation in the Slytherin Common room the night before about Lordships, under the guise of determining which of his fellow students were heirs to Houses. It had actually been Theodore Nott that had mentioned the House of Black, creating the perfect cover for Draco to send a letter to his father. And, if Slytherin gossip worked as it should, other members of Slytherin would mention it to their parents. Draco had sent an owl off with the letter in the morning. With some luck, there would be a letter in response in the evening mail.

By that point it was lunch. Just as the group was preparing to pack up to go back to the hall, a picnic basket appeared on the blanket. Initially Harry thought that Gabriel had taken pity on them, but after looking at the Hogwarts crest on the basket, it was obvious that the castle had provided the meal.

As they finished up the meal, Neville presented an interesting idea. "So, we know that Dumbledore already has the Philosopher's stone right? And that it's already underground chambers guarded by the professor's puzzles? We know that the Mirror of Erised isn't there yet, but other than that everything else should be the same. What's stopping us from taking the stone this weekend and sending it away to Potter Manor for safe keeping?"

Hermione lit up at that. "Brilliant Neville!" she beamed. "If we go about it right, no one would even know that the stone was missing until early next term, maybe later if Dumbledore puts off moving the Mirror of Erised. And Dumbledore would have no idea about who could have done it. After all, we are just innocent first years with no clue about anything." She said sarcastically.

"How do we go about it though?" Harry asked. "Do we wait again until we have the cloak and the map? Or do we attempt it with some simple invisibility charms and hope no one pays too much attention?"

They all knew it was a risk, but the sooner it was done, the sooner they could tackle other issues. It was decided that they would use invisibility charms, and go down into the underground chambers on the upcoming Sunday. While they didn't have Ron for the chess segment, Neville was a very competent player, and should be able to easily get them through that puzzle. And considering the ease of all the other puzzles, it was obvious that Dumbledore had set it up specifically for a first year Harry. In fact, any competent student could have solved any and all of the puzzles with no issue. A scheme that would make Gabriel proud was plotting itself out in the mind of one Harry Potter….

The afternoon was lovely. The Giant Squid could be seen in the distance, playing with a large branch that had fallen into the lake. All seemed to be good in the world for now. The group dozed for a bit, and lazily played a game of regular cards after Hermione taught the muggle rules to Draco. The young wizard took it up quickly, and just as quickly developed a remarkable poker face.

Draco bought up the final issue of the day- How soon does he abduct Wormtail? It was such a simple matter that the method didn't even matter. It was the timing. In the end it was decided that Draco would take the man rat that night, and place him in the soundproofed and unbreakable jar that Hermione had found at Potter Manor. James had refused to say why they had owned such a jar for some reason. It even had breathing holes in it. Odd.

They finally packed up and left when dinner time was approaching. They were all eager to see if there would be a response from Lord Malfoy. There was a chill in the air, hinting at the cold Scottish winter that was to come.

Dinner was a relatively quiet affair, as much as it could be with so many students in one place. Ron had once again seated himself at the Gryffindor table, but there was nothing that said he couldn't this time. It seemed that the Gryffindor trio would simply have to tolerate his presence at meals. Perhaps, once it was deemed socially acceptable for them to do so by the Slytherin cohort for them to join Draco at meal times, Ron would attempt to sit at his own houses table. Or perhaps not.

Draco did indeed receive a letter during the evening mail drop. His face betrayed nothing, but he gave Harry a very slight nod. Now all that was left was to wait and see how quickly Lord Malfoy could ask all the questions that they knew he would ask.

A very productive day indeed, Hermione thought proudly to herself.


	14. Chapter 14- A question of Lordship

A/N Another fortnight, another chapter. This one has a lot going on. We are getting closer and closer to seeing Sirius again! What could possibly go wrong in this chapter... It's just a normal day of classes right? Right?

ps- I know that this change in Draco is going to be difficult for some people. If you are feeling this, watch the last movie, watch his facial expressions and how incredibly broken he was. A man that wouldn't go to the dark side when his father and even Voldemort called for him, but only went when his mother called for him. I think he would do anything to protect her, and that includes making sure she is never in that situation again. Can you see where I might be going with this? Also, if I do say so myself, Draco is a bit of a badass in this chapter.

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Chapter **14- A question of Lordship**

The first day of classes began rather normally. Harry, Hermione, and Neville had Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Ravenclaws. There was an excitement in the air, their very first class. Everything was still a wonder to everyone, especially the muggle-born students. The dragon skeleton in the Defense room was always magnificent, but the reactions from students seeing it for the first time was even more special. Harry loved it- it was the sort of wonder that he felt every time he saw a new piece of magic, and he doubted it would ever go away.

Hermione, Neville, and Harry were, of course, bored, but they never let it show. Since it was their very first lesson, and they were yet to have their first Magical Theory lesson, it was purely theoretical. Even pure theory seemed to terrify Professor Quirrell. He gave them a basic overview of what they would learn in that first year, and in the years to come. It was wonderful not having the class with Ron. Quiet, in a very pleasant way. It was going to be unusual having Quirrell as a teacher, knowing everything that they did, but it was something that would just have to deal with for now.

"Are you ready Harry?" Neville asked as they left DADA. The corridors were filling up, and emptying just as quickly as students moved towards their next classes. They were heading down to the dungeons, towards the only class that any of them felt any dread over.

"Honestly? I'm not sure. It helps knowing that he is bewitched, but it really makes me wonder how much work the spell has to do. Is it worth trying to remove it? And how would he react to it overall?" Harry said to them softly, being careful not to be overheard by any of his fellow Gryffindors.

"We could try and deal with it properly after Christmas. Using the cloak," Hermione said, equally as softly. None of the first years would suspect that they were up to anything, but it was better to err on the side of caution. The invisibility cloak would always be referred to as just 'the cloak', in case Snape or Dumbledore was nearby.

As they waited outside the Potions room, Draco arrived ahead of the other Slytherins. He gave them a curt nod, but nothing more. Snape came around the corner minutes later in a billow of robes, sneering as he looked over his young class. Opening the door, he motioned for them to enter, not yet speaking a word.

Harry, Neville, and Hermione entered silently, sitting with Neville and Hermione on either side of Harry. They had considered all sitting separately, in case Snape decided to hone in on Hermione and Neville simply because of their proximity to Harry. However, this bought in the possibility of Ron sitting next to Harry, and no one wanted to deal with the potential consequences of that.

All three took meticulous notes, despite knowing all of the content perfectly. All were extremely well versed in any questions that Snape might feel necessary to throw their way. Low and behold, within ten minutes of the class beginning, Snape criticised Harry for not paying attention, despite the fact that Ron was visibly falling asleep and not taking any notes. Harry was prepared for this, however.

"Mister Potter," Snape purred. "Our new celebrity. Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

"Powdered root of asphodel added to an infusion of wormwood are two steps required to brew the Draught of Living Death, the most powerful sleeping potion known to wizardkind, Sir," Harry responded, being very careful not to smirk in any way.

This seemed to surprise Snape, not that he showed it in any way other than a slight twitch at his temple. Still, he persisted. "Where Mister Potter would you look if I asked you to find a bezoar?"

"Bezoars are found in the stomachs of goats sir, and are a quick and effective remedy to many poisons," Harry responded, leaving out the part of how difficult it could be to effectively administer.

The twitch in Snape's temple became slightly more pronounced. "And what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"There is no difference Sir, they are both the same plant, and it is also known as aconite." Harry was surprised that Snape was continuing the questions.

This time, Snape asked a question that he hadn't in the original timeline. "What is the most restricted use of Jobberknoll feathers?" There was a snugness in Snape's voice, as though he knew that Harry wouldn't be able to answer the question. He did not, however, know that Harry was older than he appeared.

"Jobberknoll feathers are used in the highly restricted brewing of Veritaserum, a N.E.W.T level potion that is created under the strict and watchful eye of a Ministry official." Harry once again responded. It was an answer that no first year should know, but he doubted that Snape would risk embarrassment by questioning how Harry knew that.

Snape seemed to briefly snap out of his vendetta for a moment, yelling at a befuddled class that they should be writing all of those answers done. With a last seething look at Harry, Snape began teaching the class the basic safety procedures that he expected to be followed to a tee.

The rest of the class went smoothly. Judging by the way that Snape seemed to outright ignore Ron, it was clear that the bewitching spell on him had been altered. The crowns had given an initial warning of bewitchment when the young royals first saw the potions master, but nothing more. It was nice to know that the crowns did not repeat the obvious time and time again. Hermione had theorised that the crowns had a charm built into them that was somewhat similar to a Remembrall. A nice feature for their sanity, as no one wanted the crowns to be constantly chatting about bewitchment.

It was lunchtime when all hell broke loose. The meal had barely begun when various Ministry Owls descended upon the Great Hall. An owl with two letters descended upon Dumbledore, and three owls with one letter each to Draco, Neville, and Harry. Hermione noticed that one of the letters Dumbledore had were summons of his position as the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. That left the second as being the same as those delivered to the boys- Court summons for the following morning. No reason was stated, yet it was clear that this was related to Draco's questioning. Dumbledore, however, was clueless. It was obvious that these were the first letter regarding the matter that he had received, and that there was no mention of what the matter pertained to in either of his letters.

The Headmaster stood, projecting his voice over the curious whispering that had begun. "Mister Potter, Mister Longbottom, Mister Malfoy, please come with me to my office."

Draco was prepared for this it seemed. "Professor Snape, would you please accompany me as my Head of House?" He innocently asked, when he noticed that neither he nor Professor McGonagall had risen to the occasion.

"That won't be necessary dear child," Dumbledore began before he was cut off by a voice from the end of the Great Hall.

"Oh yes, it will be Professor Dumbledore." Madam Longbottom bellowed out. She was clutching a fistful of three court summons in her hand as well. One as a witness, one as a member of the Wizengamot, and one as the legal guardian of a minor summoned by the court. Hermione noticed that Dumbledore had not received such a letter for Harry. "It is very clearly stated in the school rules that any student meeting with the Headmaster must be accompanied by their Head of House. I'd hate to have to report a violation of the rules to my fellow members of the Board of Governors," she said, barely containing a threatening tone towards the end.

"Of course Madam Longbottom," Dumbledore said, a slight look of defeat and annoyance on his face. "Severus, Minerva, would you please join us?"

Madam Longbottom, despite not being invited, made herself so. Despite her age, she led the group towards the Headmasters office, even chiding them for moving so slowly. The Gargoyle guarding the entrance moved aside at the sight of Dumbledore, no password required for its master.

Madam Longbottom made a beeline for one of the two seats in front of the Headmasters table, forcing the old man to summon more for the four other people that would require them. She turned to Harry then, as if seeing him for the first time.

"Is that you Harry Potter? Why I haven't seen you since you looked like a baked potato. We were distraught when we heard of the attack on your family. How are you boy?" She asked, never hinting that they were in fact very well acquainted.

"Madam Longbottom I presume? Neville told me about you yesterday when he told me that he was actually my godbrother. Imagine that! And I'm very well Madam, but a bit confused as to what is going on. What's a Wizengamot? Some kind of magical slug?" Harry asked, as innocently as possible. Feigned ignorance was never so blissful.

Dumbledore coughed, interrupting them. "Harry boy, the Wizengamot is like the Muggle high court. And what I want to know, is what all of this is about," the Headmaster said, looking towards Draco.

Draco played the perfect role of a spoiled child getting exactly what he wanted. "Well I don't know about the Gryffindors, but I assume that my summons has something to do with my missing Heir ring," Draco said haughtily, flashing his current Malfoy Heir ring.

"But you clearly have your Heir ring Draco," Snape supplied, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No, not that one. The Black Ring! The one that should have been passed to me when the last Lord Black was thrown in Azkaban. That left House Black with no immediate Heir, so it passes down to the next available male. Since I am the only male born to any of the last Blacks cousins, that means it is mine by right! But father never received it. In fact, he only realised the error when I sent him an owl last night." Draco said proudly, as though he had solved a great mystery.

Harry could see the colour draining out of Dumbledore's face as he began to realise the implications. "Mister Malfoy, is it really that important that you get this Heir ring? As your head of house has said, you already have one," the old man said in an almost pleading tone.

"Of course he should have it!" Madam Longbottom exclaimed. "If he doesn't claim it, it would mean an Ancient and Most Noble House dying out because someone forgot to file a piece of paperwork or something stupid like that. And we have already seen too many of the Sacred 28 become, or nearly become extinct because of the wars. Enough is enough!"

Dumbledore had no retaliation to that and dismissed them all. In fact, he had done so before even explaining why Neville and Harry were being summoned at all. It truly showed how shaken he was at the prospect of the events that were beginning to unfurl.

Harry saw an opportunity outside of the Headmaster's office to sow a little bit more discord. "Madam Longbottom, how do I get to the court tomorrow? My guardians are muggles."

"Well Harry, as much as I would like to be the one to accompany you, and I no doubt will be there with you, you still need the presence of a guardian. In your case, your interim guardian will be Professor McGonagall, isn't that right Minerva?" Madam Longbottom explained.

Professor McGonagall seemed surprised "Mister Potter's magical guardian is Professor Dumbledore, Augusta. Surely he will be the one to accompany the boy?"

"Nonsense, the Headmaster has never been the interim guardian of a student with muggle guardians, it isn't proper. And since he didn't receive a letter saying that he is required to be there for Mister Potter, the duty falls to you Minerva. Use some common sense girl." Augusta chided the Transfiguration Professor.

"It seems so," Professor McGonagall said. "I will see you at the castle gates bright and early then Augusta. It was lovely to see you again old friend, it's been a long time since someone has kept me on my toes." The two witches briefly embraced, before Professor McGonagall made her way back to the Great Hall to finish her lunch.

Professor Snape left without a word. None was needed really, he wasn't required at court the next day, nor did he think that there was any information he could glean from his students and an old woman that he couldn't get from going straight to the source of Lucius Malfoy.

"Well that went well," Neville said, stating the obvious. "I assume you got my letter, Grandma?" Neville asked the aged witch.

"Yes, I did. What a curious situation. I trust you aren't as much of a twat this time around young Draco?" Madam Longbottom asked the blond wizard.

Draco smiled widely at that. " Sorry Madam, I'm afraid I'm still a twat. But I hope to be a good, useful twat this time around. And speaking of useful…" Draco said, handing Madam Longbottom a blackened glass jar. "I think the court will accept this a little more willingly from you Madam Longbottom."

"And this is?" the old woman inquired before Neville hastily stopped her from opening the lid.

"That's Wormtail in a jar," Draco said with a grin. "I think the court will be most interested in what he has to say about the deaths of the Potters."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The rest of the day was uneventful in comparison, other than the whispers from upperclassmen. No one had ever been summoned by the Wizengamot in such a way, much less three students and the Headmaster in one day.

Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs was beyond easy. Again, no wand work would occur until their first lesson of Magical Theory was completed, so Professor McGonagall explained the basics of how Transfiguration worked. She explained how aspects such as the weight of the object, the material it was made of, wand power and concentration could affect Transfiguration, and whether it occurred at all. There was also a fifth element at play that was still unknown to those who studied the art. She demonstrated her ability to turn into a cat, explaining that becoming an Animagus was seen as the height of Transfiguration, and was a key requirement for anyone wanting to become a registered Master of the art. The crowns had alerted the young royals that Professor McGonagall was bewitched, surprising no one. In fact, it appeared that the entire faculty, other than Dumbledore himself was bewitched.

Harry, Hermione, and Neville had already discussed the implications of becoming Animagus before the school year started, and were going to talk to Draco about it as well. They had come to the conclusion that they would all attempt to at least find their form and determine if they were even capable of doing so. Hermione had also suggested it would be easiest to do so at their physical age while at Hogwarts, due to the deep ley lines and residual magic of the land.

The final lesson of the day was their very first flying lesson with Slytherin. Since Draco was no longer a git, the only thing that they had to worry about was the potential of a bewitched broom. And Ron's inability to follow simple instructions. As the Gryffindors made their way to the courtyard, they could see that Draco and the Slytherins had already arrived and that Draco was doing his best to check the brooms without attracting any attention.

So far, the crowns had only alerted that that Madam Hooch was bewitched, but gave no other indication that anything was amiss. It had already been decided that if any of them ended up with the bewitched broom that Draco or Neville would attempt an aerial rescue, while whoever was left on the ground would try to prompt Madam Hooch to use a cushioning spell or even the most basic levitation charm. As she should have attempted in the original timeline.

Everything seemed to be going normally. Harry, Draco, Hermione, and Neville all managed to summon their brooms to their hand on the first command. Ron of course never managed to do so and had to eventually just pick up the broom. The moment Madam Hooch told them to mount their brooms however, everything changed. Simultaneously, the Royals heard the call of "Tampering!" from their crowns and even heard the castle bristle in anger. Neville's broom began to glow, but it was only visible to the Royals. Draco noticed something was amiss however, due to the fact that his three friends were all staring at Neville's broom. Harry casually looked around, trying to work out who was casting the spell. It was then that he realised that the courtyard was in full view of the Headmaster's tower. Lo and behold, Dumbledore was standing at the window looking down at the courtyard. While Harry was too far away to see his mouth moving, it was very unlikely that anyone else was casting the spell.

As in the original timeline, Neville's broom began to behave erratically. Madam Hooch was waving her hands around, as though that would somehow stop the wayward broom. Neville kept a firm grip on the broom, riding out the wild bucking as best as he could. Draco, realising that Madam Hooch hadn't even gotten her wand out, kicked off the ground, following Neville while maintaining some distance. They all knew that what Neville and Draco were about to attempt was risky, but in the worst case scenario, Hermione would take out her regular wand and cast the levitation spell herself.

Neville's broom took a sudden turn upwards and continued to climb. When Neville heard Draco shout out "Now!" from below him, he let go of the broom. He had a moment of weightlessness before he started falling straight back to the earth. There were screams from the students below, and Hermione got her wand out as Harry began yelling at Madam Hooch to get her wand out and do something.

Draco came swooping in with perfect timing, going into a deep nosedive. Neville spun in the air when Draco shouted out to him again, the two falling to the earth at the same speed. Neville grabbed hold of Draco's back, pulling himself onto the broom. When Draco could feel that Neville was firmly attached to his back and broom, he pulled up sharply. It would have been a perfectly executed Wronski feint, if not for the fact that Draco pulled up when they were halfway to the ground, leveling out at the top of the nearby rooftop. The students on the ground were all cheering, and Madam Hooch looked on in disbelief.

Draco landed, and a shaky-legged but very grateful Neville hopped off the broom and looked upwards. His own broom came crashing down on a nearby rooftop. Turning around, Neville clapped Draco on the back. "Well that was a bloody close one wasn't it?"

All the students had gathered around Draco, congratulating him. Madam Hooch came over, a stormy look on her face. "Mister Malfoy, how dare you perform such a dangerous maneuver, both you and Mister Longbottom could have been seriously injured!" She said, pointing her finger at the blond boy.

A look of anger passed over Draco's face. "And what were you doing about the situation Madam? Not once throughout the entire incident did you even attempt to pull out your wand and perform some rather simply charms to stop Longbottom. Even now, your wand is still in your robe. What were you going to do to stop Longbottom from being seriously hurt? Let him fall to the ground and hope that he only broke a bone? He could have died!"

The courtyard was silent now. Hermione and Harry had gone over to Neville to check on him. Draco put down his broom, and gathered up his things. The Slytherin had decided that the lesson was over, and stalked off into the castle. Neville, Harry, and Hermione all did the same, leaving a shocked class and a befuddled-looking Madam Hooch behind. It was obvious that she was questioning why she hadn't acted, the first step in self-breaking a bewitching spell.

There was still another half an hour before classes ended for the day, and it would look very odd to ant Professor's out and about for four first years to be wandering the corridors during class time. They were discussing where to go, when a door appeared in the wall of the first-floor corridor that they were slowly walking down. The royals heard the voice of Hogwarts in their heads. "Enter little ones," she whispered.

They opened up the door, revealing a small, mismatched common room. There was a small kitchen and lounge area dressed in colours from all four houses. The largest area, however, was the study area; four large desks surrounded by bookshelves. Hanging on the wall above each of the desks was a lifeless portrait. The four Founders.

"Why aren't they magical portraits?" Hermione pondered.

It was Hogwarts that answered. "They are bound little one. Just as I am. The Founders have master portraits in the Headmasters tower, where Dumbledore has bound them."

No one was partially surprised by this. It wouldn't do to have Slytherin roaming around the castle's portraits disputing everything that Dumbledore was claiming about him.

The knowledge that the portraits existed though excited Harry. It meant that they could be freed, and he suspected that there was much that they could learn about the crowns and what it meant to be a Hogwarts royal from the original royalty themselves.

The young group settled into the lounge area, chatting about the day. Draco was incredibly frustrated at how incompetent Dumbledore's bewitching had made all of their teachers. They could all agree on that. And it was clear that Dumbledore was up to something. Draco suspected that he and Harry's rivalry had at least in part been set up by Dumbledore, although it wasn't clear why. Perhaps it was a way to ensure that Harry was against Slytherin.

They decided to skip dinner since they had a small kitchen available. Hermione was checking the cupboards to see if anything was stocked, and found all the ingredients she would need to make a fettuccine carbonara. All the boys helped her out, Harry slicing bacon, Neville measuring out the ingredients and Draco preparing the pots and pans. In the end, Hermione didn't do any of the cooking, instead teaching Draco how to cook the simple dish. It was the first time the wizard had ever cooked something, so expectations for the meal weren't high. However, as soon as Hermione started explaining the cooking as though they were making a potion, the blond wizard took to it immediately. The meal wasn't perfect, but it was a very good first attempt.

As they sat down and enjoyed the meal, they talked about the trial to come in the morning.

Hermione was disappointed that she wouldn't be able to go with them. Not without giving away the secret of the Soul Bond so soon. Harry could feel her understanding though; Regardless of whether or not she was there, Sirius would be free, and Harry would be able to publicly claim the Heir ring of House Potter. Harry already knew that he would name Augusta as his proxy, at least until Sirius had time to heal.

Hermione had done something interesting though. From the previous timeline, she had remembered an address of somewhere that Remus had been. She hoped that he was currently living there. She sent an anonymous letter with a cryptic message. It read; "Padfoot will be freed for treasons he did not commit. Be there for your packmate." It was cryptic enough that only Remus would understand the meaning.

By the time they were done with their meal, it was starting to get late. They would need to leave for their common rooms soon. As they left the founders common room, the door disappeared behind them. Hogwarts explained that the room was similar to the room of requirement, except it would appear anywhere in the castle that the Royals needed, and the only requirement it would fulfill was food. When Hermione asked if there was a way that Draco could access the room on his own, the castle said that he would need to verbally ask for the room, but that she would let him and him alone into the room without a crown. Hermione conveyed this to Draco, the young man thanking the castle for her generosity and trust.

Sleeping that night was difficult for all of them. Hogwarts tried her best to soothe her children, but nothing could take the edge of excitement away. Sirius was going to be coming home.


End file.
